The Return of the Zodiac Stones
by Glenn393
Summary: The Zodiac Stones have made their way across the continent into FFXII Ivalice and are stirring up loads of trouble. There are people manipulating the countries and history is about to reach its climax. Character deaths, lots o action. LAST CHAPTER UP!
1. Aries

Alright hey everybody! I decided to write a new fanfic for Final Fantasy XII. I expect this to be about 20 chapters long, so I hope you're all ready to come along for the ride. This chapter starts off kind of boring, but it's all part of introductions and setting up the kick-arse action to come in the later chapters. I've been planning a really intricate and complicated plotline, so just keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying these chapters, and hopefully you'll love my whole story. Thanks!!!

Vaan drove his sword into the belly of the wolf after he kicked it down to the ground. He slowly pulled the sword out of the stomach and then brought it down into the wolf's ribs violently.

He stared down at the carcass, nearly split in half, of the large beast. Blood, intestines, and semi-digested food oozed out of the belly onto the rocky sand of the Dalmascan Estersand. There was something interesting flowing out of the stomach though; a colored rock. Vaan bent down and picked the rock up and wiped the blood off of it. It wasn't just the typical old pebble that these beasts dropped, but it was large, shaped like a horn, and tinted red.

Vaan heard something coming from behind him fast. He gripped the stone with his left hand, spun himself around and swung his long sword at the wolf that was airborne, attempting to pounce on him. Vaan luckily caught the raging animal straight across the neck, and the beast landed hard on the ground, gurgling and sputtering blood. Vaan saw felt the animal exhale its last breath of life, and then decided to trek back to Dalmasca to see how much his stone was worth.

"Fran! Balthier! I can't believe you two are here right now!" Penelo cried cheerfully.

Penelo was practically bouncing as she jogged over to the two sky pirates who had just walked down the steps from the docking station of the Aerodome. She ran right into Balthier and give him a big hug. He was caught off guard, which was visible by the expression on his face, but he smiled, and then put his arms around her small frame. She quickly let go and give Fran a hug as well. Fran placed her hand on the back of Penelo's head, closed her eyes and hugged the young woman back.

"Vaan is going to flip when he sees you two," Penelo said joyfully. "What brings you back to Dalmasca?"

"What brings you to the Aerodome?" Balthier replied smoothly.

"I was going to get our airship prepared. Vaan and I were going to take a trip to visit Larsa and Basche," Penelo replied, still joyful. "So I'll ask again, what brings you two to Dalmasca?"

"Nothing in particular actually, we just fly around and enjoy ourselves, so we figured it's been about a month since we've seen you we'd drop by and check up on our junior sky pirates," Balthier replied, running his hand along the side of his head, stroking his hair back.

"Well, it's always great to see you two! Would you two like to come see Larsa with Vaan and I?" Penelo asked excitedly. "It'd be soooo much fun! It'd be a trip like old times!"

Balthier chuckled and said, "Are the 'old times' you're referring to our ordeal with Vayne four years ago?"

Penelo nodded, "Yep!"

"We'll see child, who knows where the wind will take us," Fran replied in her monotone voice.

"Well, let's get outta here and head over to the Sandsea. That's where Vaan usually is now. He takes up hunts all the time now for people, and he's practicing his social skills by talking with all the different kinds of people at the bar," Penelo quickly stated as she grabbed Balthier by the hand and started to pull him out of the Aerodome and onto the street.

Balthier let out a grunt of surprise and followed, as did Fran. The three of them quickly walked through the Dalmascan streets passing by many different kinds of people, all busily going to work. It was a loud city and always bustling with commotion, yet it was a comfortable place to be; very wide and open with plenty of space for everybody to roam.

They passed by the water fountain in the south district and kept going north toward the open entrance to the eastern side of Dalmasca. They pushed their way through crowds, and eventually came to the door of the Sandsea.

Penelo ripped the door open and quickly walked through the entrance with Balthier and Fran right behind. They let their eyes settle to the darkness of the pub, and they scanned all the people sitting and talking, looking for Vaan.

"It does not appear that Vaan is here," Fran spoke.

"Don't worry, he will be," Penelo said with a tone of hope. "Let's just relax and get something to drink."

"Agreed," Balthier quickly answered, winking at a nearby barmaid and ushering another one over to them.

The barmaid glided over to them as the three travelers sat down at a nearby table.

"Howdy Balthier," the barmaid said in her cute and friendly voice. "Can i get'cha the usual?"

"Absolutely. Glass of rum with ice. Same thing for Fran here too," Balthier replied smoothly.

Fran glared at Balthier.

"Hahaha I'm kidding Fran. But hey, if you don't drink it, what the heck, I will," Balthier joked.

"Can I just have a water?" Penelo asked.

"Comin' right up kiddo," The barmaid replied. "And Balthier I'll be right back with your drinks baby," she continued, and then she walked away toward the bar.

"God, I hate it when people still call me a kid," Penelo pouted.

"Well, you're 21 and still ordering water," Balthier joked. "Gotta let loose once in a while little lady."

Fran glared at Balthier.

"C'mon Fran!" Balthier laughed. "Quit starin' daggers at me, you're gonna turn me to stone or somethin'"

Fran smirked, "Well, Penelo, is there anywhere else we can find Vaan?"

"Not that I know of with any real certainty," Penelo replied. "He's usually here."

The barmaid came back with their drinks and set all three drinks down gently on the table. Balthier picked up his rum and started to sip it, and to his surprised, Penelo grabbed his other glass of rum and took a few large gulps.

"Thata' girl!" Balthier cheered. "Not so bad is it?"

Penelo coughed and her face scrunched up like she had just taken a gulp of lemon juice.

"Woah! Balthier! Fran!" A voice called from across the room.

The three friends glanced up at the entrance and saw Vaan walk in. His clothes were speckled in blood and his hair was falling over his face.

"Vaan! Where've you been?! You're a mess!" A concerned Penelo immediately asked.

"Went out training for a while," Vaan replied calmly.

Vaan had changed quite a bit since their journey four years ago. His voice got deeper, he got much taller, and after the past few years of intense training and mark-killing, he bulked up quite a bit. He was now just over six feet tall with broad muscular shoulders, and his triceps and biceps bulged out of his arms all the way down his arm to where his forearm muscles were, and they too were round and thick, like tree trunks. His hair had grown out a few more inches, but he still wore it in the same style. He wore the same outfit from four years ago, but he had it tailored so that it would fit him better. He still had the same defined abdominal muscles as his younger years, and his presence was now that of a real warrior.

He pulled a chair up to the round wooden table and plopped down on it right next to Penelo, waving over to the barmaid.

"A beer, please," Vaan said in his matured voice.

"Well, well, training hard as ever I see," Balthier greeted.

"You're coming along very well," Fran added. "I'd like to see your skills in combat sometime soon. You have much potential, and I want to make sure you're utilizing it the right way."

"Yeah, why not? Gimme anything and I'll split its head open," Vaan laughed out loud.

"Well, have you found anything fancy, my fellow sky pirate?" Balthier asked, very interested in what Vaan had to say.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, but that doesn't mean I'm not finding anything good. I'm still getting some decently rare items which I can sell in bulk to the bazaar, but I haven't really traveled much as of late. I go through the Estersand, Westersand, Giza Plains, Zertinan Caverns, and Barheim passage just slaughtering as many beasts as I can," Vaan replied.

"You go into the Barheim passage yourself?" Fran inquired.

"Oh yeah, way down into the depths of it. The beasts are getting easier and easier to kill," Vaan replied proudly.

Balthier glanced over at Penelo who had an uneasy look on her face.

"You okay sweet thing?" Balthier asked. "You don't look very good."

"Vaan! You know I hate it when you go to that place!" Penelo spoke loudly. "You're going to get really hurt someday and nobody will know where you are!"

"Don't worry Penelo, nothing will happen to me. I can easily handle myself around those creatures," Vaan said assuredly.

"It's not even that, you've become so violent. I really don't like the idea of you going out and just killing animals by the masses. It's so awful!" Penelo rebutted.

"I'm sorry that it upsets you Penelo, but I gotta do it. It's part of getting stronger," Vaan said apologetically. "But anyways, did Penelo tell you two about our trip?"

Fran nodded, "We'll see about coming. It sounds like a nice idea, and it'd be my pleasure to check up on Lord Larsa."

"Eh, what the hell, why not," Balthier added. "We gotta keep our eye out for some Archadian treasure on the way though, right?" He joked, lightly punching Vaan's massive shoulder.

The barmaid came back with Vaan's beer, and he he reached into his pocket to get out his money to give her. His eyes narrowed when he found that he couldn't get a good hold on the gil. He took the red stone out of his pocket and then reached in again, this time with more space to grab the proper gil.

Fran's eyes lit up when she glanced at the stone.

Vaan paid the barmaid and took a few large gulps of the beer.

"Child, where in the world did you get that stone?" Fran asked.

"I found it in the belly of some wolf in the Estersand just now. I thought I'd go get it appraised, see what kind of stone it is. It looks kinda precious, so I thought I'd keep hold of it," Vaan answered, looking at the red stone he held in his palm.

"May I see that?" Fran asked calmly, extending her hand across the table toward Vaan.

"Yeah, definitely," he replied cheerfully, handing the stone over to her.

She inspected the stone, turning it over in her fingers, smelling it, and looking at the grooves and shape of it.

"I do not know how this got here," Fran said after half of a minute of inspecting.

"Do you know what it is?" Vaan asked excitedly.

"Or how much it's worth?" Balthier added even more excitedly.

"I cannot say at the moment. But it's value is priceless, and its use is discouraged," Fran replied to both of them.

"Is it dangerous?" Penelo interjected. "It's just a rock."

"Child, this is more than a rock. This is the stone of Aries, created thousands of years ago as a vessel for the zodiac brave, Velius. These stones are all supposed to be in western Ivalice. I do not know why one of these would be this far across the continent, or who would bring it here. This is very dangerous though, and we must inquire more about where it came from, how it got here, and who knows about it," Fran said gravely.

Definitely more action to come, more characters, more plotline, and more everything. This is just my intro chapter, giving you a little clue as to how the story might unfold ;). Chapter 2 should be up later this week!


	2. Libra

Princess Ashe was lounging around her room, bored out of her mind, thinking about anything that came to her brain. She let herself fall on her large feather bed, and stared up at the draperies that surrounded that hung from it. Sunlight fluttered through the window panes; the room smelt of her perfume. As a queen there were many different meetings and formalities, but much of their diplomacy consisted of letters or word of mouth, so things often moved very slowly, and the Queen found herself with heaps of time on her hands.

She closed her eyes and relaxed her whole body. She tried to think if there was anything going on today that she needed to remember.

_Oh yeah. That new noble is coming here to present his case to me_, she thought to herself.

Nabradia was currently without a king, they had been ruled for the past four years by a loose oligarchy. They decided that since Ashe had been married to their last king that she should decide who rules the country. There were tens of new suitors that would begin to come to her for interviews, trying to persuade her into choosing them to be the next king.

She pushed herself off her bed and stood up. She felt like going for a walk. Ashe walked toward her door, opened it, and started to talk down the hallway. She thought she might explore some of the depths of the castle. Her first impulse was to go down into the castle treasury, but then decided that she'd rather just stroll around casually. As she continued down the hallway, she started to reminisce about some of the old times. The past few years since she had regained Dalmasca had been very slow. Archadia had been extremely peaceful with Larsa as their new ruler. It sounded like Basch was doing well too, and he had become the only judge left. Larsa decided that their foreign policy would be better off if there was only judge to decide military endeavors, and if the judge had been somebody he trusted.

Al-Cid Margrace was doing well also. He had become king of Rozarria about a year ago after some fierce competition with the other princes, but his ties to Ashe and Larsa, his collected aura, and his smooth talking gave him the upper hand against those craving the throne. The only other prince that seemed suitable was a young man, about 26 years old, by the name of Ammon Perseus. He was diplomatically adept, had an amiable personality, and came from a long line of well-to-do fathers. His only downfall was that as a late teenager and in his early twenties he used to be swayed by bribes and would do unorthodox things in order to siege opportunities. They were very small things, but there was the worry that they might eventually become bigger things. Ashe had met him, he was a respectable person, but she preferred Al-Cid much more.

"Princess!" A man's voice called. "Where are you going?"

Ashe turned and saw one of her political advisors walking down the hallway. He was coming at her at a brisk pace holding his arm out as if he were trying to pull her back.

"I'm going for a walk," Ashe replied calmly.

"Well, you better come walk this way then, because Sir Ptepup is here already," he replied matter-of-factly.

Ashe let out an angry sigh, turned, and followed her advisor back down the hallway. They made a few rights and lefts, took the center stairwell down into the Main Hall and stood at the center of the red carpet. Her other advisors were in the main hall waiting, and many servants were bustling around getting the castle ready.

The large wooden doors creaked open and two knights walked in first, side by side. They had on green tunics, black pants, and silver capes. Behind the two knights walked a tall young man, and behind him, two more knights dressed identically to the first two. Ashe's jaw dropped.

_My God_, Ashe thought to herself. _He looks just like Rassler_.

The young man in fact did not look just like Rassler, but he no doubt had a very similar appearance. He was tall, clean-shaven, had light blonde hair that was slightly longer than Rassler's, had a small nose and somewhat of a baby face. Yet this man did not have blue eyes like Rassler, but instead had extremely light brown eyes that for a moment appeared to have a tint of dark red. His armor was much different though. He wore black armor with a silver cape, and when he spoke, his voice was much deeper than Rassler's as well.

Ashe quickly noticed these differences and walked toward the young man, extending her hand. The two knights split apart and let the young man walk by them. He knelt down at one knee, took her extended hand, and kissed the backside of it lightly.

"Queen Ashelia, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Conpichio Ptepup," the young prince said in his deep, masculine voice.

"The pleasure is all mine, Sir Ptepup," Ashe replied courteously.

"Sir Ptepup," Ashe's advisor interrupted, "We have had a late lunch prepared for your arrival. Would you care to join us in the dining hall at this time?"

Conpichio nodded his head, smirked, and said, "Absolutely. Lead the way and I shall follow you."

And with that, Ashe, her attendants, her advisors, Sir Ptepup, and his four knights all headed toward the main dining hall. They each took a seat at the long table, already prepared with silverware and plates for the meal, and started to converse amongst one another.

"So, Sir Ptepup," Ashe started. "I know you're here to gain my approval so that I may choose you to become King of Nabradia. What makes you think that you are suited for the job?"

"I am a man of the people your majesty," Conpichio replied. "I follow their needs and wants in order to please the masses. Although I may be their leader, I lead for their well being. And you may call me Conpichio your majesty, I would greatly appreciate it."

Ashe nodded and continued, "Well that all sounds very admirable. But how can you lead if you are always swayed by the public?"

At that, Conpichio gave a slight chuckle and answered, "I am not driven by their desires my queen. I believe you have misunderstood me. I merely meant that I do what is best for the greater good. I have confidence in my abilities and my policies, and I believe that I can implement them throughout Nabradia more efficiently than the other prospects."

Ashe nodded. There was small talk amongst the two of them throughout the entire meal. Ashe was questioning him about his politics, his resume, his strength against opposition, and many other traits that she needed to really get his own opinion on. She would not swallow everything he said and believe every word, but it at least gave her insight as to how he wanted to be perceived.

Finally, she was curious, and came to ask, "Why do you bring four knights with you instead of advisors?"

Conpichio smirked and gave a small laugh at the question and replied, "I bring them for my own safety. I believe in strength and using it in order to achieve what needs to be achieved. I also do not bring political advisors with me either because more often than not, their ideas and intents are completely unrelated to my own. I have but one political advisor, and he is not here today because he has his own personal agenda."

"What does the insignia of the Lion on their capes represent?" Ashe questioned further.

"The Lion represents strength, courage, and leadership. They are the embodiment of my political philosophies," Conpichio replied.

The afternoon continued on until finally Sir Ptepup bid everybody farewell, kissed Ashe's hand once more, and left the castle to return to Nabradia. Ashe had mixed feelings about the young man. She had seen many of the others, and knew them from over the years and how they functioned in Nabradia, but never before had she met this young man, and his ideas had been somewhat refreshing. She liked him very much, but at the same time knew that she needed to stay strong against her first opinion and investigate who he was more thoroughly.

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It was now nearing the evening, and Ashe was feeling restless again. She ventured into the hallway to continue her walk, except this time she decided to go down to the treasury just for fun. She hadn't explored anything lately, and needed to do something fresh and interesting. She navigated the hallways until she came to the spiral staircase that led down into the lower basement of the castle where the treasury was. There were many guards walking around the area, as expected, and they all greeted Ashe respectfully as she walked by.

Finally, she came to the door to the treasury. She took the castle key ring from her belt on the side and found the key to the treasury. She heard the door unlock with a click, and she pushed the door open slowly; a loud creek echoed throughout the room.

Ashe walked into the room, and smiled with nostalgia instantly thinking of Balthier when she saw all the treasures. There was the sound of a footstep somewhere in the room, and it instantly brought Ashe back to attention. She drew both her daggers and blinked rapidly to let her eyesight adjust even better to the dimly lit room.

She peered around the treasury, walking slowly and carefully, waiting to hear if there were any other sounds. It was dead silent. Ashe breathed slowly; it was the only thing she could hear. She continued to walk through the large room, it was littered with lots of shelves lined with gold and jewels, almost like a library.

Ashe continued to weave between the shelves, walking so slowly she couldn't even hear her own footsteps. But finally, she came to a corner of the room, and saw in the shadows a man crouched down, facing the wall. She kept silent to see what he was doing. It appeared as if he was searching for something. His head was moving from right to left, and he was leaning close to the jewels that were at his feet. He had shoulder length blonde hair from behind, a dark breastplate, greaves on his legs, and an extremely long sword scabbed at his side.

"Who are you," Ashe said sternly and forcefully.

The young man stood up and spun around instantly, a look of shock and surprise in his face.

"I will not ask again. I am Queen Ashelia, and I demand to know who you are and what you are doing."

The man kept silent but just stared at her.

Ashe was at a loss for words. She was stunned by his silence, but didn't dare to attack him because she knew not of his strength. She would rather have turned and called the guards, but who knows how this man would have reacted, and whether or not he'd have the chance to escape. They both stood there looking at each other in an awkward silence for a few moments, until the man finally did something.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orange stone shaped like a wide arrowhead.

"Have you seen any stones like this?" He asked in a very calm voice.

"You have not answered me. Reveal yourself," Ashe demanded again.

The young man just repeated his question.

Ashe did not repeat hers.

"This is the stone of Libra. I trust you with this information because I know who you are. I will be back periodically to check with you if you have seen any special stones," the man added.

Ashe had enough of this, "Guards!" She yelled. "Intruder in the treasure room!"

The mean leapt forward, agilely slipped by Ashe's daggers as she swung them at him, turned past a shelf of treasure, and when Ashe ran after him, he was gone.

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Vaan, Penelo, Fran, and Balthier stood over the rotting carcass of the dead wolf. It was putrid smelling and not even the blowing wind could take the scent away from their noses. It was covered in maggots, and flies buzzed around it, eagerly landing on it and taking part in the feast.

"Yep, this was the wolf I found it in," Vaan said to the others.

"Are you sure?" Fran questioned.

"Absolutely positive, I can tell by the wound it has, and this is exactly where I was when I killed it," Vaan answered.

"Well, let's split up and walk around the area, see if there's anything suspicious looking," Balthier added.

Fran nodded, and the four companions split up in different directions, walking to different parts of the Estersand, searching for anything that caught their attention. Balthier held his pistol in his right hand, and a long dagger in his left hand. As he walked toward one end of the Estersand, he saw four wolves gathering.

The wolves saw him too, and started to run in his direction. Balthier aimed his gun at the closest one, fired, and hit the wolf square in the right eye socket. Three more were rushing at him as he fired another bullet straight at the next wolf, hitting it right in the forehead.

The other two wolves were dangerously close now, and as one of them leapt in the air to pounce on Balthier, he ducked down, turned his shoulder, and with his left hand stabbed the dagger into the rib cage of the wolf as it sailed by him. He continued to spin, shot the wolf in it's side close to the dagger wound, continued to spin, and in one fluid motion struck the other wolf with the dagger right in the throat and put a bullet right into the heart of the animal. Balthier turned to the wolf that had jumped past him and saw it struggling to breath. He paced over to it, and fired his last bullet in the pistol into the beast's brain, putting it out of its misery.

Penelo walked toward another end of the Estersand, quickly walking by a small, friendly cactuar. She smiled at it and waved, thinking that it would somehow wave back. This side of the Estersand was deserted, and she saw nothing but sand and rock. Vaan encountered the same thing at his side of the Estersand. He thought the idea that something suspicious was nearby was silly, so he half-assed his job, glanced around quickly, and then turned and started to walk back to Fran.

When Vaan came closer to Fran, he saw Penelo and Balthier both walking back at the same time. Seemed like they had found nothing either. When Vaan looked around the corner of the rock wall into the little pocket of the Estersand, he saw Fran fighting off a whole pack of wolves ferociously.

She was standing fifteen feet away from the pack firing arrows at each one of them wildly. There must have been twelve or thirteen wolves gathered around a rotting carcass. Vaan rushed forward, draw his sword, and plunged into the group of animals.

"Vaan! No!" Penelo cried. She suddenly got very upset with herself for not bringing her pole with her, because now she could not help defend Vaan.

There appeared to be no need for protection though. Vaan swung his sword as if he were a berserker, running at the pack of wolves voraciously. He sliced through the side of one wolf, then swung the sword downward and stabbed a wolf through it's back. In a fit of fury he spun his body around, and with full momentum he slashed the head of another wolf clear in half. From behind him, a wolf leapt at his back, but before Fran could sling another arrow, and before Penelo could cry a warning, Vaan had turned quickly, and as the wolf came straight at Vaan's body, Vaan swung his arm forward with a clenched fist, and connected with the wolf's face as it was in the air. The punch must have broke the wolf's jaw, and the head of the beast snapped to the side with extreme whiplash from the punch. Vaan thrust his sword into the beast as it hit the ground, turned and in the blink of an eye, decimated the remaining few wolves.

After the violent battle, Vaan stood there panting, clenching his sword as he let the tip of the blade rest on the ground, and wiped some blood from his face with his free arm. Fran, Balthier, and Penelo stood there in shock and awe.

"I am extremely impressed, young one," Fran spoke, breaking the air of tension.

"Hell, Vaan, come with me to the bank later on today. I'm gonna hop in the vault, grab all the money, and when we're escaping, you can do to the guards what you just did to the wolves," Balthier joked.

Penelo stood there, a look of extreme unhappiness on her face. Vaan turned and looked down at the carcass that the wolves had all been tearing at.

The four of them walked over to the decaying body, and saw that it was the eaten body of a man. Nearly all the flesh had been eaten off his body, but much of his clothing lay on top of the remaining tissue, muscle, and bone. The pants he wore were ripped and tattered, but they were black. His shirt was mostly eaten off but there was green fabric around his chest, and torn off from the body lay a silver cape laid out flat. There was a golden lion crest on the silver cape.

"I wonder who this is. I've never seen that crest before," Vaan started.

"I've done my fair share of traveling, and I can't say I recognize this mark either," Balthier added.

"Nor do I. At least not on this side of Ivalice anyways," Fran said.

"How long do you think he's been dead?" Penelo asked.

"My guess? A few days now," Balthier replied. "Maybe two or three."

"Ahhh, I think I know now," Vaan said in a tone of voice that sounded like he had just figured out something important. "I bet that wolf I killed was eating at this carcass. This man must've had that stone on him somewhere, and the wolf probably swallowed it."

"My thoughts exactly," Fran nodded in agreement. "But what is this crest, and who is this man to possess a zodiac stone?"

Nobody had an answer for that, and the four companions stood there for a moment in thought, looking down at the cape with the crest of a lion on it.

Hahha okay, that's chapter 2 :D. I figured I'd let in a few little mysteries and ideas that will affect the plotline as it really gets rolling. It's also important for you guys to remember Conpichio Ptepup as well. He's a character I created because I wanted there to be four diplomatic leaders in the countries, so he will come back in the story. I'd also keep Ammon Perseus, the other Rozarrian prince, in mind, because his politics will come up later in the story as well.


	3. Scorpio

Ashe woke up the next morning feeling very uneasy about the intruder in the treasury from the night before. She sat up from her bed, stretched her arms out, and blinked a few times to get adjusted to the sunlight streaming into her room. She sat there for a moment still waking up, when she finally moved toward the edge of her bed, put her feet on the ground, and stood up to stretch again.

She walked over to the mirror and smiled at herself when she saw what a mess her hair was. _Thank god nobody ever sees me looking like this_, she thought to herself, smiling as the thought flew through her mind. She started to unbutton and unlace her white nightgown. She stripped down till she was stark naked, and then she walked over to her wooden dresser and pulled out her normal outfit for the day. She then walked back over to the mirror, combed her hair, freshened up by putting some light makeup on, and then walked out into the hallway.

She needed to find one of her advisors to let them know that she was going into town. She was going to find Vaan. After so many years in the castle, unmarried, and practically isolated from the world, she went crazy not just because she was so alone, but because some of her best friends were right there in the town. She wanted to find Vaan and see if she would become her new bodyguard, much like how Basch used to be. She smiled at the thought of Basch, and thought that she should pay Larsa and Basch a visit sometime soon to catch up and enjoy themselves. She could easily pass off the meeting as formal diplomatic relations to her advisors.

She continued to walk down the hallways toward the common room, where most of her advisors would sit and converse. To her dismay, there was nobody in there at the moment, so she turned and went down to the parlor; many of them may be having breakfast right now. After spending so much time in her domain, Ashe had really begun to appreciate the intricate details that had gone into crafting the castle: Each hallway had the rug perfectly centered, the paint was all evenly put on, the ceiling was plastered neatly, the artwork had been hung evenly and accordingly, the plants had been watered and taken care of every day of the year. She had begun to appreciate these little things, and when she did, she was absolutely sure that she was starting to go insane.

She finally got down to the parlor, and as she predicted, many of her advisors were there.

"Just to let you all know, I'm going out into the city right now," Ashe stated.

"Wait a moment your highness, it's still morning, and we cannot allow you to just walk around freely and unprotected," one advisor protested.

"That is exactly why I'm going out. I am going to find myself a bodyguard," Ashe replied, already turning toward the door.

"Your highness, we can certainly find one and arrange it for you. There is no need for you to go out. You can remain here in the comfort of your castle," the advisor rebutted.

"The comfort of my prison you mean?" Ashe replied slyly. "I'm going out, and I'll be back. And I may go to Archadia to visit Larsa and Basch."

To that statement all the advisors stood up in uproar and started to reprimand her and caution her. Ashe just ignored them, and walked out of the parlor, determined to finally go do something.

She walked to the front doors, nodded at the guards at the door, opened the enormous doors, and walked out into the sun and the fresh air of Dalmasca. She smiled and lifted her chin up slightly, absorbing the atmosphere of the city that lay before her.

She walked down the streets of Dalmasca, and to her surprise, hardly anybody recognized her. Or if they did, they didn't have the courage to say anything or make a big deal out of it. Which was not only convenient, but comforting in Ashe's eyes. That way, she could finally fit into the crowd and not have to be upheld as royalty. She headed over toward the Sandsea because she knew that was where Vaan and Penelo had always hung around. She had also heard rumors of Vaan's impressive mark hunting not only from Clan Centurio, but from overhearing her advisors speak of his feats.

She walked into the Sandsea and scanned the room for Vaan or Penelo. She frowned when she realized they were not there, and then she walked up to the bar.

"Excuse me?" Ashe asked the bartender politely. "Have you seen a boy by the name of Vaan around here?"

"Vaan?" The bartender replied. "I saw him yesterday in here with that girlfriend of his and two other adults. Actually, one was an adult, the other was a viera. I haven't seen them today yet though."

Ashe's heart fluttered when she recognized the adult and viera to be Balthier and Fran.

"Thank you so much!" She said in great excitement, not realizing the tone of her voice.

The bartender smiled, kept drying off the mug he had just washed, and turned back toward all the liquor bottles. Ashe had a wide grin on her face as she turned around to scan the crowd of people again.

Suddenly, a man rushed into the Sandsea, panting as he came in.

"Hey everybody!" The man shouted, trying to catch his breath. "There's a huge fight going on in the western gate! You gotta all check it out!"

Ashe thought about what the man just said, and tempted to actually have fun and see something interesting, she quickly jogged to the door with everybody else to go see the fight break out. The crowd of people from the Sandsea quickly made their way through the streets until they finally came to the west gate where there were two very large Bangaa brawling in the middle of the square.

A few guards were running from Aerodome toward the two fighters to try to break it up. The bangaa were really going at it though, punching, kicking, and clawing at each other viciously. Ashe was strangely intruiged by it and kept watching, unaware of the grin she wore on her face.

When the people started to crowd in front of her vision, she jogged around toward the other side of the crowd, and because she was so caught up in her excitement, she actually jogged right into someone.

She fell backward and landed hard on her behind, but instantly started to apologize and get herself up.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, are you okay?" Ashe bumbled in a fit of embarrassment, excitement, and surprise.

She looked to see who she bumped into, and her mouth dropped the same way that the man's jaw had dropped.

"Balthier?!" Ashe cried.

A very stunned Fran, Vaan, and Penelo stood behind him.

"Ashe!" They all cried out, exchanging hugs and hellos.

"What in the world are you doing out of the castle Ashe?" Balthier asked.

"I needed some fresh air. I really did need to get out of that place for a while. Plus, I wanted to come find Vaan, and give him a job opportunity," Ashe answered.

"Well, I'd love to hear it Ashe, but I'm afraid I won't be able to do it until a few days from now," Vaan replied, clearly disappointed by the temporary refusal of her task. "But we were actually headed into the Aerodome right now to visit Larsa and Basch."

Ashe laughed out loud, which surprised the others, since she wouldn't have normally done something like that years ago, and she replied happily, "That's such a pleasant coincidence, because I was actually going to go visit them myself! I hope you have room on the _Strahl_ for me, Balthier."

"Unfortunately, there's not much room on the _Strahl_," Balthier replied. "But that doesn't matter, because we're not taking it. Vaan is going to give us all a ride in his new airship which he purchased from all his hunts. What did you name it again?"

"The _Quetzacotl_," Vaan said proudly.

"Well, an accomplished fighter and a pilot as well I see," Ashe added happily. "Would you mind if I came along?"

"Not at all! We'd love to have ya," Vaan replied.

"Ashe it's so good to see you again! You look so beautiful!" Penelo cheerfully greeted.

Ashe blushed at that, and wasn't surprised to see Penelo have the same openness as her teenage years.

"Amen to that," Balthier said to himself, winking at Fran.

Fran just glared at Balthier.

"Oh c'mon Fran! Quit starin' daggers at me again! It's no big deal!" Balthier cried defensively. "I swear to god you should enter a staring contest with a wall. It could probably outstare you, but when you glare at someone like that, you scare the bujesus out of them, that wall would crumble at the sight of you."

Ashe let out a quiet chuckle, and felt very relieved to be back in the company of her old friends.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Fran said politely, not letting her stare up from Balthier.

"Well! Time's-a-wastin'!" Vaan cheerfully added. "Let's get goin'!"

The five old friends walked into the Aerodome and got to the docking station where Vaan had the _Quetzacotl_ stowed at bay. The ship was massive in proportion to the _Strahl_. It was armed to the teeth in cannons and artillery, and judging by the size of the engines it could probably go much faster too.

"Bloody hell," Balthier said in amazement. "Vaan where in the world did you get the money for this, and DON'T say hunt rewards. There's no way hunt rewards could afford this."

"No, you're right, but they did help pay for a portion of it. This money for this ship was given to me by Larsa believe it or not. He said it was a gift, but I have every intention of getting his money back to him. It was a helluva gesture, but the kid really out did himself by giving me this opportunity," Vaan replied.

After all this small talk, the five of them boarded the _Quetzacotl_, started the engines, and went airborne. Vaan steered the ship, with Penelo as his copilot, in the direction of Archadia.

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"I think she liked me a lot," Conpichio said out loud, twirling a stone in his fingers.

"You can think whatever you want, but actions speak louder than words," the figure sitting across from the prospect king said. "If you want to really impress Queen Ashelia, you must gain her trust through your abilities. I told you to speak of your will to satisfy the people and do things for the greater good, so we should concentrate on doing things of the sort."

"Yes I know, just tell me what you think I should do, and it's done," Conpichio replied.

"We should start by giving money to the poor. I'll have my knights go through the town to the wealthy houses, steal some expensive things, pawn them, get the money, and give it to the poor. We could also have my knights go to the bakery with the money and have loaves of bread made. I'll get on them to start doing these tasks right away," the figure continued. "And for heaven's sake, please put the stone away."

"Why?" Conpichio asked, tossing the stone in the air and catching it.

"Because I did not give it to you so that you could play with it. When I gave you the Scorpio stone it was for emergency use, leverage against opponents, and collateral that you can trust me."

Conpichio looked closely at the dark amber color of the stone and the insignia of Scorpio on it, and then put it into a pouch that hung from his belt.

"That's better," the figure said. "And tomorrow I'll have us meet with Ammon Perseus again. We'll discuss the peace treaty and potential alliance again, and ways we can spread the rumors and ideas throughout the cities. We shouldn't have a problem with Al-Cid right now, but eventually if he does not cooperate with our plans and Ammon's plans then I'll have my knights take care of him."

"Whatever you need to do," Conpichio agreed. "Once I can guarantee my ascension to the throne we'll be able to talk more about alliances and war tactics."

"You're absolutely right. So keep making your name known, send some flowery letters to Ashelia, and keep doing what I tell you," The figure stated, standing up from his chair and walking toward the door.

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"Larsa! I'm so happy to see you again!" Penelo cried as she ran toward the 16-year old king. "Basch you still look so young for being 40!"

"Thanks for reminding me," Basch said in an annoyed tone, standing right behind the young king.

Vaan, Balthier, Fran, and Ashe were right behind Penelo.

"Basch I'm so happy to see you," Ashe greeted, practically falling into his arms in embrace.

"Your highness what in the world are you doing out of the castle and out of Dalmasca?" Basch asked in a concerned voice.

"I needed to get out, really and truly. And I figured we were all overdue for a reunion. But somehow by chance, I found these four also, and now it really is a reunion," Ashe replied, flashing a smile at Basch.

"V-Vaan," Larsa stammered. "I can't believe it. You are enormous. What in the world happened to you?"

It was almost comical to see the muscular Vaan stand next to the frail figured Larsa.

"Well, I was really into the whole idea of looking like Basch back in his prime," Vaan joked, walking over to Basch offering a handshake.

"Right kid. What makes you think I'm not in my prime? I could take a dump and still handle you at the same time," Basch joked back, smiling, but then quickly losing the smile when he realized that he was in the presence of two esteemed rulers.

Ashe and Larsa just smiled at him.

"I'm so sorry. That was completely uncalled for. I guess I'm just excited to see everyone," Basch apologized.

Ashe and Larsa both laughed and forgave him for anything that had happened.

"So Ashe, I hear you have many new suitors about to come to you in the attempt to sway your decision as to who shall be Nabradia's next king," Larsa said.

"Please, let's not talk of politics right now," Ashe said wholeheartedly. "How about we just go inside and have a meal, maybe bring out some wine and other kinds of alcohol and just have a good time. I really need to loosen up and do something out of the ordinary."

"Well, you're all entitled to any beverages you may like, but I'm afraid I'll have to refrain," Larsa said.

"Oh, c'mon Larsa, just have some fun with us," Vaan egged on.

Larsa chuckled and then said, "Oh it's not that. You all forgot, I'm still only sixteen. Well below the proper age to drink."

The group thought about it for a second and realized how much older they had all gotten. After that moment though, they all went back inside the castle, and spent the rest of the day joking, laughing, and reminiscing. Larsa provided everybody a place to sleep with his guest bedrooms, and promised that they would spend the next day doing the same thing. It was a day that everybody really needed. Especially because of the events to come...

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The night had passed quickly.

"Greetings Ammon," the young man said.

"Greetings, my friend," Ammon Perseus replied.

Ammon Perseus was a strikingly handsome young man. His entire head was shaved, he had piercing blue eyes, a strong chin, and prominent cheekbones. He was thin around the midsection, thick around the chest, and was a bronzed tan all over.

"Conpichio," Ammon greeted, shaking the other young man's hand.

Conpichio returned the greeting, and then turned to the young man standing next to him.

"Well, Ammon, we wanted to meet with you quickly to discuss our plan to a greater extent," the young man said.

"I've already thought this plan through, and I already know how it will work," Ammon replied. "I know what is in my best interest, and what needs to be done."

"Excuse me Ammon, but I don't believe you're the one making all the decisions at this point," the young man hissed angrily. "Conpichio here has a greater chance at gaining power than you do, and I'm his personal advisor, so you cannot just do as you please."

Ammon sneered at the young man.

"Make whatever faces you may," the young man continued, "but the truth is the truth, and my plan is the plan. I need you to persuade anybody you can into promoting Conpichio as the new king of Nabradia. Because of this fact, we must make it clear that Conpichio wishes peace, and because of this, he requests a serious peace treaty and alliance with Rozarria."

"That whole 'peace' business is a cover-up though, right? Isn't that what we agreed on?" Ammon said.

"Exactly. Rozarria and Nabradia will make a treaty. Then, with enough support from the general public, we shall instigate reason to attach Archadia, and from there, possibly Dalmasca," the young man answered.

"And then Rozarria will be able to take control of all the land, correct?" Ammon questioned further, confirming what it exactly was that he stood to gain.

"Nabradia will get some of it as well," Conpichio blurted out. "We are partners in this endeavor, and without me, this plan doesn't work as efficiently."

"Don't worry Conpichio," the young man soothed, "everybody will get what they want. I will make sure of it. You two just keep doing what you are right now, follow what I say, and I will keep utilizing my knights and my plans to further your plans."

"You mind telling me what your plan is?" Ammon asked the young man.

"I cannot say at this time, it may sway your decision making for now," the young man replied.

"Well, if it's something that I may change my opinions for, then I need to know what it is, or else I'm not doing it," Ammon threatened.

"Oh no. This is not an option Ammon, I fear that I've given you the impression that I'm just some prissy advisor. I have much more power than that, and an agenda that surpasses anything you might hope to accomplish. The only reason why I'm helping you, is because I can help you with your goals in the process, and you can help me with mine at the same time," the young man replied.

The three men shook hands with one another, and they all departed.

Haha okay everybody, my plotline is starting to thicken now, and I'm tryin to get you all to start making up ideas in your head ;). I know this chapter was a little more detailed with what you might consider useless information, but it's all part of characterization and my attempt to further dramatize the events that are to come. I'm on vacation now, so I'll be doing a lot of writing this week, so stay tuned :D.


	4. Zodiac Braves and Lucavi

Hey everybody! Okay I'm gonna keep writing this story as best as I can, really getting into the plotline gradually ;), but I've been thinking all night about interesting ways the story is going to turn, so I can guarantee you're not going to want to miss this!!!

Basch woke up the next morning with a smile on his face, but a twisted sadness in the pit of his stomach. The previous day had been a breath of fresh air in his life. He appreciated the company of his old friends, and was very happy with the way everybody was growing up, but there was something else on his mind that downplayed how excellent the day had gone.

_They had called him Basch_.

For the past few years, Basch had been known as Judge Gabranth, assuming the position of his deceased twin brother. Even Larsa took to calling him Gabranth. But Basch, his former self, was dead to everybody else, and more than ever, he felt like it he was dead to himself also. He was no longer living his life for Dalmasca, but finishing a promise he made to his brother to continue protecting young Larsa in his brother's place.

It was an honor, and Basch loved to serve and protect Larsa, but it was starting to wear on him that his true identity was gone.

Basch stood up from the bed, got changed, and left his room to go check on Larsa. It was no later than 9 o'clock right now, and he was sure the young master would be up already. He knocked on Larsa's door and heard the king's laughing voice say to enter.

Basch cracked the door open and saw Larsa, Vaan, and Penelo all sitting around the small wooden table that was placed in the middle of the room. They were playing with a deck of cards. Basch smile at the simplicity of the scene, and entered the bedroom.

"Just checking up on you this morning," Basch said, bowing his head slightly.

"You feel like joining us, Basch?" Penelo asked happily.

Basch shook his head, "No, I couldn't possibly. I must go check on Queen Ashe and organize the guards of the castle."

"It's okay," Vaan started, "He's just scared that since I'm a better fighter than him, that I'll probably be a better card player too."

Basch was slightly caught off guard by his sarcastic humor, and grinned at his remark.

"I'll see to it that our chefs place a laxative in your breakfast," Basch calmly replied.

"Would you? I'm afraid I ate something that went bad the other day, and I've been constipated ever since," Vaan laughed and replied.

Basch was amused by the boys newfound wit, nodded, chuckled, and added, "Of course. Anything to help a friend out, Vaan."

Basch turned around and closed the door behind him and heard the faint echo of laughter from the bedroom as he continued to walk down the hall. He let out a deep sigh and stared down at the ground as he walked. He was hoping that some of the others had a few good ideas pertaining to what they should all do that day. He then came up to Balthier's door, and knocked gently on the frame of the door.

"Yes? Come in," Balthier replied from inside the room.

Basch opened the door and poked his head in. Balthier was sitting on the floor, resting against the foot of his bed, his hands clasped together. He looked up at Basch and let the side of his mouth curl up into a smirk.

"Morning mate, sleep okay?" Balthier asked.

"Slept excellent, yourself?" Basch replied in a very melancholy tone.

"You alright there, big guy?" Balthier questioned, getting up from off the floor.

"Of course, yesterday was one of the best days I've had in a while, why wouldn't I be happy?" Basch answered.

"Because I thought maybe you would have realized the same thing that I have," Balthier spoke, turning his head slowly to Basch as he said it.

"What is it that you've realized?" Basch questioned.

"I just... I feel like our lives aren't going the right way. I feel like my life is empty, and somehow, I guess I was wrong, I was getting the same vibes from both you and Ashelia."

"I think your observation skills are definitely working, and your thoughts are as keen as ever."

"Of course they are, big guy. I'm a sky pirate, don't you remember?" Balthier blurted, smirking at his reply.

"What makes you think your life is empty?" Basch asked, still standing in front of the door across from Balthier who was standing at the foot of the bed in the peacefully silent bedroom.

"Being a sky pirate has its perks every now and then. But I especially get brought back down to Earth whenever I really think of Fran. She was exiled from her home, has lived longer than any of us can imagine, and what does she do with her life now? Nothing. She follows me around. And what do I do? Nothing really. So that means she's doing nothing also," Balthier said sadly.

"I can certainly relate," Basch comforted, taking a step toward Balthier. "The last few years have been very fulfilling in one sense, because I can personally protect a great leader and be a big part of a strong nation. I'm also finishing out a promise to my brother's dying wish. But I've lost my identity, and I've lost a part of who I am. And now when I look at myself, at forty years old, I just feel like my life is empty. I think that's the best word for it. And after listening to Ashe yesterday, I'm sure she feels the same way. She spends all her time in the castle, alone, and isolated. We're big parts of history and current events, but there's nothing else."

"So I was right, you're not okay," Balthier commented.

"No, no, I'm okay, really, but this is just something that has been in the back of my mind for a while," Basch explained. "There's nothing we can really do though, we must just keep showing up to every new day."

Balthier nodded and extended his hand. Basch took a step forward and returned the handshake.

"I feel much better speaking about this," Balthier said. "It's not normally like me to go on and say something like this, but it's impossible to be the lady-killer, pirate, and wise guy all the time. We all have problems we sort out internally."

"I agree," Basch nodded, "So let's just make the best out of the days to come, and hopefully our luck will change my friend."

Basch turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

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The group ended up having a spectacular day. They had a gigantic breakfast, they went for a walk through the city, they went up in an air balloon above Archadia, visited some of the great feats of architecture in the city, and then went back to the castle to say their goodbyes.

Penelo and Ashe hugged Larsa goodbye.

"Larsa, no matter what happens, we must stay strong as rulers, and do everything we can in order to protect everyone," Ashe offered to him as advice. Then she walked to Basch, gave him a hug, and then kissed him on the cheek saying, "I know you'll continue to do such an admirable job with Larsa. You've been a man of your word, swearing on oaths and promises all your life, and devoting yourself entirely to the greater good, whether it be Dalmasca or Larsa. People will remember you for a long time because of that, and you should be proud of what you've done."

Basch was comforted by her compliment and her embrace, thanked her, and let her start walking back to the _Quetzacotl_.

Penelo gave Larsa a big hug as well and happily said, "You just keep enjoying yourself as best as you can Larsa. You're still a teenager, you don't want to grow up too fast! So just let loose whenever you can, and keep being yourself." She gave Basch a hug as well and added, "You just keep doing the best you can. We all know that you're the best man for any job."

Fran merely spoke goodbye to both Larsa and Basch, whereas Balthier shook Larsa's hand, and then did the same to Basch, saying, "We'll all find the perfect ending for ourselves soon enough, old friend."

Vaan waved goodbye to Larsa, telling him he didn't want to be too formal shaking hands, since they were good friends. But when he came to Basch, he took off the broken necklace that hung from his neck. "Keep this as a memento, Basch. You've been an inspiration to me and my training, and I'll always respect you as a man."

Basch bowed his head to Vaan, and took off the tassel that hung from the hilt of his sword, saying, "And you can take this, Vaan. It was given to me when I became a knight of Dalmasca, and it serves as a reminder to always protect something. I hope it will give you all the luck in the world, also. Keep it up, kid."

And with that, Vaan, Penelo, Ashe, Fran, and Balthier all left and boarded the airship. Basch and Larsa watched it take off, and they both waved goodbye. They didn't know why they did it either, they knew that their friends couldn't see them waving, but it felt awkward not waving goodbye.

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"Do you really trust this young man?" Ammon hissed.

Conpichio nodded, "Absolutely. He has not steered me wrong yet, and I can see no fault in his advising techniques. So far, he has helped me make great strides with the people's opinion of me, and by having us join forces, he clearly has our goals in mind as well."

"But what does he stand to gain?" Ammon questioned further.

"What does any political advisor stand to gain?" Conpichio countered. "Anybody who is an advisor is there to help make decisions. That's it. It's just the politics of our world."

"I cannot see how he will sway Al-Cid into attacking Archadia though. And by the sounds of it, Dalmasca would not be on Rozarria's side. Queen Ashe is too closely tied to Larsa, she would never fight against them, they both want peace," Ammon pointed out.

"I'm sure he has something in mind for Al-Cid," Conpichio answered. "But, just in case he doesn't, what are the chances that you would take over if... something happened to Margrace?"

"It might take some effort, but I could easily assume the role. Depending on how chaotic our situation is, if I can position myself to look like a benefactor and savior of Rozarria, I doubt I'd have any problems at all."

"How would you feel about sending out an assassin?" Conpichio asked with a sly grin.

"I feel very strongly," Ammon replied.

_Strongly, because if I was in power then I would not need your puny country for support. If I can become the king, then I can just trample Nabradia and take everything else with it,_ Ammon thought deviously to himself. _Not that I would spare Nabradia anyways, even if we conquered Archadia and Dalmasca together, you would just be next._

"Good. Then I'll organize some of the knights, pay them a little extra not to mention it to our advisor, and we'll make good use of their services," Conpichio added.

"But on another note," Ammon quickly added. "What exactly do these stones do? Why would he give us them?"

"He claims that it's collateral for trusting him, and that they hold great power. He has not told me yet of this great power, but I've slowly been trying to get it out of him."

"Interesting. Have you ever heard of St. Ajora?" Ammon mused to himself and then asked.

"I can't say that I have," Conpichio replied, puzzled.

"He's an important figure in the history of Eastern Ivalice. I doubt you'd ever hear about him. The East and the West are completely independent of one another. There could be mass genocide over there and nobody would ever hear about it," Ammon continued.

"Well, there are dangerous swamps, woods, mountains, hurricane winds, preventing airship travel, and deserts separating us, littered with what I've heard as some of the most fearsome monsters ever," Conpichio added.

"True, so word can never really spread. But I was very intruiged by the idea of the stones, so I did some researching in the library. Evidentially, these stones wreaked havoc back in the East many years ago. The stones represent something I discovered called the 'zodiac braves'. Those who bore the zodiac stones were called braves, and gathered whenever an evil spirit attacked the world. And I guess St. Ajora was an angel of God who was trying to gather these spirits. And I actually asked one of the knights about this tale, and he said that Ajora could be revived to fight in the form of an angel called Altima. There must be a human sacrifice, and a girl who's spirit resonates with the stone of Virgo. I also read something about 'Murond Death City' being the only place Altima can be revived, but I'm sure there is some way we could get around that. I'm not sure if this is all true, and some of this might be somewhat wrong, but I do know that the zodiac stones we hold, when used, transform its bearer into a 'brave' at will, and given extreme power," Ammon said, with an excited look in his eye.

"That's amazing. I wish we could figure out how to use these stones then. We could cause immeasurable damage to Archadia and Dalmasca," Conpichio replied, clearly drawn into the story.

"Most definitely. So we'll just keep doing what we're doing for now," Ammon started, "And when the time is right, we'll gather as many stones as we can, form an attack against Archadia, and if given the right conditions, maybe we can revive this Altima and use it to help us in battle."

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"So Fran, have you thought up anything else about this stone?" Vaan asked, piloting the ship back to the Aerodome.

"Unfortunately, I have not," the viera replied sadly. "The stones themselves have come a great distance, and I do not have the slightest clue how they have come this far. And, I speak of them in the plural, but this may be the only stone around. That is also something I am uneasy about. We do not know how many stones have arrived here. I also do not know who that knight was in the desert, and why he might have a stone on him."

"Stone?" Ashe asked, sitting in the cockpit with everybody else.

"Yeah, I found this stone in the belly of a wolf, that had apparently swallowed it off of some knight the wolves had hunted down. Fran claims that it's a zodiac stone, or something, and that it's really dangerous," Vaan replied.

"May I see it?" Ashe asked politely, putting her hand out.

Vaan fished around in his pocket for it, took it out, and then gave it to Ashe. She inspected it closely, and then her eyes lit up with a fearful excitement.

"There was an intruder in the treasury the other night asking me if I had seen other stones. He pulled one out himself to show me what they might look like, and then he escaped!" Ashe exclaimed.

"You actually saw another stone?" Fran asked promptly.

"I did. And he said he would periodically return to check on me," Ashe continued.

"Do you know who he is?" Fran questioned further.

"I hadn't the slightest clue. He did not have any formal armor, and his motives were so unclear that I had no clue why he came or where he came from."

"This is extremely important. That means that there are others who know about the stones and who are searching for them," Balthier butted in. "We need to find that man again as soon as possible."

Ashe nodded and handed the stone back to Vaan, who then put it back in his pocket.

"Let's hurry back to the castle, it's been a few days since the visit, maybe he will come back sometime soon," Ashe insisted.

Vaan nodded and put the _Quetzacotl_ into high gear.

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Larsa sat at his desk that overlooked the small courtyard in the castle. Basch stood behind him, looking down at the documents he was reading.

"Basch, did you have a good time today and yesterday?" Larsa asked.

"I did young master. It was a refreshing way to spend time, and a relief to see that our old comrades are in such good shape," Basch replied.

"Would you like a vacation, Basch?" Larsa asked, looking up from his paper. "You've been at my side for years now, and it was plain to see that your heart ached when everybody was leaving."

"I appreciate the thought Larsa, but I have duty to perform here. I believe that your life is in my hands, and if anything were to ever happen to you, I would not only let my brother down, but my personal commitment would have gone in vain, and the country would be up in chaos. It is a risk that is much greater than my need for a vacation," Basch answered politely.

"Thank you, Basch," Larsa replied. "You have done so much for me, and sacrificed so much for my needs, that I feel like your time is being wasted here."

"No time is wasted young Larsa. Do not ever think that," Basch retorted.

"Then I thank the heavens that I have such a man watching over me. Who knows what would happen to me if you were not around," Larsa thanked wholeheartedly.

A knock at the door interrupted their deep conversation. An advisor poked his head in, "King Larsa, the young man from Nabradia is here to see you."

"Let him come in," Larsa answered.

The advisor nodded and opened the door wider. The young man walked into the room. He was dressed in clothing of dark scarlet. The sleeves, buttons, collar, and other parts of the tunic and pants were laced with gold lining. He had on a pair of shiny black boots, and a long black cape. He walked into the room steadily, and took a seat in front of Larsa's desk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you King Larsa," the young man said, bowing his head. "Sir Ptepup has told me much about you."

"And I have heard much about you too as well. It sounds as if you have done great things for Sir Ptepup, and I value your concern and input. What news or advice have you brought me all the way from Nabradia?"

The young man smirked and said, "I bring you many different things. Would you excuse your knight, so that we may speak alone?"

Larsa glanced up at Basch and nodded.

Basch shook his head.

"I'm not leaving, your highness. And although Larsa may be aware of who you are sir, I, do not. And I will not leave Larsa in the presence of somebody whom I do not know or trust. I am not leaving," Basch said defiantly.

"Judge Gabranth, I order you to leave the room so that we may discuss our politics," Larsa commanded.

Although Larsa had always called Basch, Gabranth, this time it felt like an insult, as if Larsa did not recognize Basch's purpose for being there, even though moments ago he had just thanked him and admitted he knew how much Basch cared for his job. But Basch obeyed, and reluctantly walked to the door, opened it, and as he shut it behind him, he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach...

Hahahha ohh shoooooot. Things are really gonna start heating up now. I figured I'd get some surprising plotlines moving earlier than expected, just for the reader's sake, and so I'm spitting these stories out on the fly, and it's coming together decently well so far.


	5. Gemini

Vaan landed the _Quetzacotl_ has fast as he could. The party left the airship in a hurry, and briskly walked through Rabanastre toward the Queen's palace. They did their best to navigate the crowds of people, and to not get separated from each other. They finally came up to the castle though, and Ashe walked right up to the door, and acknowledged the knights who were guarding the doors.

"Are these people accompanying you to be trusted, Queen Ashelia?" One guard asked.

"Absolutely, please let us in," Ashe replied bluntly.

The guard did as commanded, and the group flooded into the main hall. There were a few of Ashe's political advisors there speaking amongst each other, who immediately stopped their conversations when they saw Ashe enter, and started walking toward her, and angry look on their faces.

"You have been gone too long your highness! You cannot just go out and do things like that!" One advisor said.

"And who are these people you bring with you? They look like scoundrels," the other advisor said.

"Wait a moment. That's the young boy, Vaan. Is he the bodyguard you decided to get, your highness?" The first advisor asked.

"Bodyguard?" Vaan said, confused by the statement, looking at Ashe.

"Oh," Ashe started, "I totally forgot to ask you Vaan. That was the job I wanted to assign you. I wanted you to become my bodyguard, much like Basch and Larsa."

"Well, of course I'd do it, Ashe. It would be my honor to protect you," Vaan replied, thinking of how Basch would have reacted, and thinking of the meaning behind the tassel he was given.

"How dare you address her royalty by such an informal name!" One advisor reprimanded.

Ashe couldn't put up with them anymore. She couldn't deal with their scheming, their problems, their concerns, and most of all, their dislike and content for her best friends.

"Get out of here, both of you. You are no longer welcome. And make sure you spread the word to all my other advisors. I no longer want you anywhere near the castle," Ashe commanded.

"But your highness!"

"Please, we meant no disrespect!"

"I said get out of here," Ashe commanded again, this time in a more stern tone. "If you don't, I will have the guards throw you in prison. Leave now, and tell all the advisors to do the same."

Ashe turned to Fran and Balthier, "Would you two like to become my new advisors?"

Balthier and Fran were taken back by her request.

"We shall consider it," Fran answered. Balthier nodded in agreement.

And with that, the two advisors left to go through the castle spreading Ashe's command. Ashe and the group quickly went up the stairs so that Ashe may go to her bedroom first and get the keys to the treasury that she hid. They practically flew down the hallway in excitement, hoping that they would find the young man somewhere in the castle.

Ashe took out a key from her key ring and unlocked her door. She swung it open in a hurry, and stopped immediately when she saw somebody standing on her balcony. Vaan, Penelo, Fran, and Balthier entered the room behind her, and stood there in shock, looking at the blonde-haired young man.

"It's about time you came back," the young man greeted with a small smile.

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Al-Cid Margrace was sitting comfortably in his chair behind his mahogany desk. He was twirling his sunglasses in his fingers, letting his hair fall over his face. There were piles of documents and letters stacked on his desk, but his mind wouldn't concentrate on those issues at that time. He was thinking more about the state of the country right now, and his foreign affairs. He had maintained peace for the past few years, and as long as he stayed in power along with Ashe and Larsa, he knew that Western Ivalice would prosper.

Some of the Rozarrian nobles were getting uneasy about Archadia again though. For the past few days, word had been spreading, instigating emotions and movements to attack Archadia. People started to remember that Larsa came from House Solidor, who couldn't be trusted, and that they still had an enormous army with plenty of nethecite. Archadia also had a formal alliance with Dalmasca, and when the new ruler of Nabradia was chosen, it was presumed that since chosen by Ashelia, they would be on that side of the alliance as well. It was tough for Al-Cid to ponder all this, knowing that there really was no threat at all. The people and the nobles could not be contained for much longer though. He would have to think of new ways to satisfy some of the needs of his people.

He sat up in his chair and started to write a letter to Ashe. She was the only woman he had ever cared about for more than her looks, although Ashe fit the bill for that anyways. He admired her strength and ingenuity, and he knew that he could tell her what was on his mind, and that she would reply with advice or ideas. He was writing the letter fluidly, letting his thoughts pour out on the paper, when suddenly, his thoughts were broken up by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Al-Cid said in his thick accent.

A servant opened the door and said, "Sir Margrace, Ammon Perseus is here to see you."

Al-Cid sighed and said, "Okay, let him in."

The servant nodded, and Ammon Perseus walked into the room with a confident stride.

"What can I do for you Ammon?" Al-Cid said, leaning back in his chair, playing with his sunglasses again.

"You can step down from your throne," Ammon replied, his face serious, his tone stern.

Al-Cid laughed at the request.

"Oh I wouldn't laugh. Haven't you heard? Queen Ashe and King Larsa had just met over the past day. It is believed that they were talking up war strategies. Strategies used to attack Rozarria. And Conpichio Ptepup of Nabradia has come to us with news. He was in the running to become the King of Nabradia, but when he met with Ashe, she asked him whether or not he would take up arms against Rozarria," Ammon stated. "And he grew skeptical of her ideas for peace. There has also been suspicion that you are betraying Rozarria and conspiring with Ashe and Larsa."

"I have done no such thing!" Al-Cid cried defiantly. "I'm writing a letter to the Queen expressing my wishes for peace at this very moment!"

"Would you mind letting me read the letter then?" Ammon persisted.

Al-Cid didn't want this man reading his personal thoughts, but it was necessary to prove his innocence. Reluctantly, Al-Cid picked up the letter he had begun to write, and handed it over to Ammon.

Ammon scanned the incomplete letter, and then smiled and laughed, "Do you realize what you've written here?"

Al-Cid stared at him with a puzzled look.

"Would you like me to read it out loud?" Ammon asked Al-Cid, who nodded.

"Dear Queen Ashelia. I fear that our ideas of peace may not be maintained for much longer. My country as grown skeptical of Dalmasca and Archadia. The burden that has been placed on me has become unbearable, and sometimes I do not think that I can carry out my task any longer. I must do everything in my power to satisfy their needs, so that they will not want to fight. I will do everything in my power to make them believe that we really do have peace," Ammon read to Al-Cid. "Do you not see the treachery in this letter? It's here, clear as day."

Al-Cid was very confused, "I do not understand where you see the treachery."

Ammon laughed, "I came here with nothing but rumor and ideas of conspiracy, but somehow, you have given me written proof that you are deceiving Rozarria. This is a turn of luck I could have never expected."

"Explain," Al-Cid commanded.

"Well, first of all, you call them ideas of peace. Meaning that it's not true peace, but rather, your thoughts. You also show Rozarrians in a negative light, saying that our needs must be satisfied, and that we have become skeptical. Well, of course we're skeptical when we have a king we can no longer trust. You then imply your job as conspirator in the next few lines. You say that you cannot carry out the task given to you, and that the burden is too much. Which task? Which burden? The task of leaving Rozarria open to attack, and the burden of betraying your country? Then you speak of satisfying us in order to prevent our attacks on Dalmasca and Archadia. You also say that you will do everything you can to make us believe that there is peace. By doing so, you allow Rozarria to be defenseless against an attack, since we believe we have peace," Ammon explained.

Al-Cid was outraged, "You have contorted every sentence in that paragraph and turned it into something you want it to mean. I speak of ideas of peace because it's not guaranteed right now. I also speak of burdens and tasks, to which I am referring the job of King and the task of maintaining order. I also need to make you believe there is peace, because there really IS peace. You have twisted everything around."

"Well, I'm sure you could attempt to argue this letter your way. But I'm sure the argument I present is much more believable, since people already believe that your loyalty lies elsewhere. The fact that Sir Ptepup has confirmed Ashe's ideas of attacks also discredits your 'ideas of peace'. If Ashe really wanted peace, then she would not speak of attacks to the future King of Nabradia."

"He is not a king yet, and he most certainly is lying," Al-Cid rebutted.

"He may seem lying to you, but Rozarria remembers the treachery of Archadia in the past. I'm afraid your time is over, Al-Cid," Ammon spoke.

As Al-Cid had been arguing with Ammon, Conpichio and a band of knights had been climbing the castle wall up to his balcony. They leapt over the rail, and Al-Cid spun in surprise and fright.

"What in the world are you doing!" Al-Cid said in his accent, clearly frightened.

One knight unsheathed his sword, stepped forward and ran it right through Al-Cid's stomach. The king did not have time to escape, and he felt blood gushing up his throat. It filled up his mouth, and then dripped down his chin onto his tunic. The knight yanked the sword out of stomach, and Al-Cid let out a grunt of pain, falling to his knees.

He fell forward, putting his hands out, now on his hands and knees, and coughed up blood. His body collapsed, and he closed his eyes, feeling the life rush out of his body.

"Very good," Ammon said gravely. "We even have written proof of his betrayal. I can easily argue that these sentences imply his treachery, and with your testimony that Ashe mentioned war, mixed with the history of Archadia, I'm sure this will all be settled in no time."

"This was an excellent plan. You did well, Ammon," Conpichio complimented. "I'm sure this will make things easier for our advisor now. He can go through with his plans to have Rozarria attack Dalmasca and Archadia."

Ammon nodded, smiled, and looked down at the bleeding body of the former king.

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"Larsa, I have some terrible news," the young man spoke. "I've gotten confirmation that Rozarria wishes to instigate a war. Sir Ptepup has evidentially formed an alliance with Rozarria, and if they attack, Nabradia will be attacking as well."

Larsa reeled back in shock, "How can Conpichio claim such a thing? He has yet to become a king!"

"It is very true, but if Rozarria wins this war, they claim that they will make Sir Ptepup the king. It's a confusing argument," The young man replied calmly.

"So, does Queen Ashe know about this?" Larsa asked.

"She knows nothing of it. I was going to pay her a visit after I left here to inform her as well."

Larsa sat back in his chair rubbing his temples in a circular motion.

"Why don't the Rozarrians want peace?" Larsa asked himself out loud. "They always want to fight."

"Young Larsa, it's not that they don't want peace, it's that they want more. They do not settle for things. It is innate in all people to always want more of something. In Rozarria's case they want more land and power. Everybody would be happy if they could just settle for what they have, but we always want more of something."

"That's not true, I don't want something more. I've settled for everything I have," Larsa replied.

"Are you sure? Because I can assure you that you haven't. You crave more power, so that you can maintain peace, don't you? You know that if you had more power and control that you could do more. Yet, you already have immeasurable power now. But it's not enough, is it?" The young man stated. "Put your situation in Rozarria's shoes. You crave power to instill peace. They crave domination, so they can have their own peace. Everybody's reasons are different, but the goals are the same... Peace. And remember, the best ways don't always lead to the best results."

Larsa was staring down at his desk. He let those last two lines sink into his head, really contemplating the meaning behind them. _Everybody's reasons are different, but the goals are the same... Peace, _he thought to himself. _The best ways don't always lead to the best results_, he continued to think. They were evident truths, yet they were hard to rationalize. Larsa slowly started to look up at the young man in front of him. His eyes scanned the scarlet tunic and the gold buttons; the way the blackness of the cape enveloped the young man's shoulders. Then he looked at the young man's face. Cleanly shaven, large brown eyes, brown hair slicked back, a very youthful looking person.

"Most people have to act the roles given to them. Then again, most of them haven't even noticed they're acting."

"You're absolutely right, Sir Hyral," Larsa finally spoke.

"Please," The young man smirked, staring straight through the young king, "Call me Delita."

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Basch waited in the hallway, his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Thoughts of Larsa's safety flushed through his mind, constantly intermingling with the thoughts of vacation and spending time with friends. He was coming close to his breaking point, confusing his emotions with his duty and honor. There was a bold line between the two, and he was always good at keeping that line there. And the line was still there now, but to him, it just started to fade. And secretly, he wanted it to fade. He wanted to finally let loose and get back to living a normal life, instead of this empty role created for him.

He clenched his fist and reprimanded himself for having such thoughts. He needed to focus, and try to listen to what was going on behind the door in the open courtyard. He did not trust the man that Larsa was talking to, and it pained him to have to wait outside.

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"You're right, Delita," Larsa spoke. "I do crave more power. But not with bad intentions, rather, for good intentions."

"Yes master Larsa, I understand that. And do you know what I think you should understand? I read this in a book back in the Orbonne Monastery in West Ivalice. The book was titled, Final Fantasy VIII, I guess it's a series. But the main character, Squall, says, 'Right and wrong are not what separate us and our enemies. It's our different standpoints, our perspectives that separate us. Both sides blame one another. There's no good or bad side. Just two sides holding different views.' That advice is one of the greatest things you can understand."

"But it doesn't refute the fact that I need more power in order to maintain peace," Larsa answered.

"Do you really crave power?" Delita questioned the young man. "You are still young and impressionable, and I'm not sure you really think you know what you want."

"How dare you, Delita. Do not patronize me. I may be young, but I am not impressionable, and I know exactly what I want. I would be willing to be great amounts in order to achieve power so that I may maintain peace," Larsa hissed.

_Excellent,_ Delita thought. _Reverse psychology worked perfectly. The young fool._

"I have power that I can give you," Delita spoke. "If you're willing to accept it."

"What kind of power?" Larsa questioned further.

Delita took a stone out of a pouch hanging from his belt. It was purple stone, shaped like two diamonds connected together.

"This is the Gemini stone. It is from West Ivalice. If you open your heart to this stone and make a pact with it, you will be granted not only physical power, but mental power, great strength, and acute senses," Delta explained slowly.

Larsa took the stone in his hand and bit his lower lip, contemplating what the stone might do.

"I do not think I want to," Larsa replied. "The power I speak of is the trust of the people and the cooperation of my neighboring countries. I cannot see how the stone's power will help me."

"Alas, you are wrong young one," Delita started. "That power made mortal men immortal when it was used back in the West. It will allow you to dominate your opponents in times of war. And I highly recommend that you take my advice, because so far, your methods clearly have not been working."

Larsa understood what Delita was saying, and was so desperate to find anything he could, that he opened up his heart, mind, and will, to accept the power.

The stone then levitated out of Larsa's hand. It rose up in the air, glowing a bright purple.

_Promise me... Your spirit will unite with my flesh to live forever, _the stone spoke.

Larsa was taken aback and frightened to hear the stone speak.

_Your internal despair and and resentment called me_.

The stone flashed a bright purple and lit up the entire courtyard. It moved in the air and hovered over Larsa's head. The stone started to make loud crackling noises as purple lighting started to spark around it, creating loud booms of noise.

Basch threw the door open from the hallway and burst into the courtyard. He stared directly at Delita, "What the hell is going on!"

Delita stood up and strode over to Basch, put his hand on Basch's tense shoulder, and said, "Do not be afraid. Peace is coming. Go ahead, try to defeat the demon that is about to be born."

Basch was so concerned with Larsa's well being that he stood there in complete shock, awe, and surprise, not realizing what Delita said, or that he had even left. Because in front of him, the stone had already sparked and lit up, but now it infused itself into Larsa's head, and a purple mist blasted outward from the stone. Basch could see Larsa standing up and changing form through the fog. The fog suddenly vanished, and a beast demon was towering over Basch. Basch tried yell Larsa's name, but suddenly the demon that Larsa had turned into took a long step over and with one of its giant claws it swiped at Basch.

Basch retreated toward the corner of the courtyard where he could finally see what the demon looked like. It's skin was a dark purple, and it had strong, muscular legs that were connected to hooves, where Larsa's feet should have been. Muscles rippled down the beast's arms; it bore two enormous claws for hands. The head of the beast had two giant horns that stuck out of its forehead and curled upward at the tips. It bared long, sharp, yellow fangs, and bloodshot eyes. It was nothing that Basch had ever seen before in his life.

But the beast, which Larsa had fully transformed into, charged at Basch at full speed. Basch swung his sword as an instinct, and his blade sunk deep into the forearm of the beast. The demon shrugged the wound off though, grabbed the sword out of Basch's hand, threw it across the courtyard, and yanked Basch up by the arm and picked him up off the ground.

The demon did it with such force and speed that Basch felt the tendons in his shoulder tear apart, and he could feel his arm dislocate itself from his shoulder. He yelled in immense pain, but could do nothing but remain suspended in the air. The beast swung at his body with the other claw and sliced Basch right through the Judge's armor.

The demon then released Basch's arm and let him fall to the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the beast had knelt over and sunk its teeth straight into Basch's neck. Basch felt a searing pain through his neck, and his whole body tensed up in shock. He felt the demon tear his teeth out of his neck, ripping out a giant piece of flesh and muscle.

Basch's shocked mind forgot about the pain, but remembered the life that flashed before his eyes. He remembered his time as a Dalmascan soldier and the friendship he shared with Vossler. But most of all, he thought of the recent reunion of friends. He remembered all the nice things everybody said about him, and he thought about how much they respected him. He also remembered the advice he gave Vaan, and the honor that Vaan had bestowed upon him by his compliments. And finally, he realized that he had never broken his brother's promise, and that he had always lived his life as a man of his word. And he realized that all his friends loved him for that fact, and that his life wasn't necessarily empty. Balthier had said that everybody would have a perfect ending, and when Basch thought of what just happened, he couldn't see the perfectness in it. But then he thought again, and realized that this was an ending that he embraced. He died doing his best, in a time of strain, against many odds, and most of all, he died knowing that he had achieved everybody's approval, trust, and loyalty. And in this stage of his life, that's all he could have asked for.

Snapping back to reality, Basch realized that he had thought up all of that in just one fleeting second. Because the beast had just torn the flesh away from his neck, and a comforting darkness clouded his eyesight until he could no longer see anything. And in a moment, he could no longer feel anything either. Except his own satisfaction.

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Larsa's eyes snapped open. He was standing in the corner of the courtyard facing the wall. His memory of the past few moments were foggy. He looked down at his feet and saw the broken and bleeding body of Basch, and in one striking second, the events flooded his mind and made him fall to his knees.

He had willingly taken that stone from Delita. He had willingly opened himself up to it. And he had succumbed to the lust for power, even though he thought he was better than that. And then the image just came to him. He remembered biting into Basch's neck.

_How much time has passed,_ Larsa thought. He felt Basch's chest. It was still very warm, and the blood was still trickling out of his neck. It couldn't have been longer than a minute ago. Larsa had some how transformed back into his human self. And at that moment, he was overcome with a sickening grief.

Larsa keeled over and started to throw up all over the ground. Tears flooded his eyes as despair and anguish flowed through every muscle in his body. He had just killed the man he had come to love and respect the most. And it was the man who dedicated the rest of his life to Larsa's protection. It was a sadness that he had never felt before. He had never killed anybody, or ever done anything so brutal, or awful in his life. He had never before lost control of himself.

He knew he needed to recuperate, find his advisors, and track down Delita and bring him to justice for giving him that stone. But right now, his body was paralyzed with anger, regret, and pain. He started to cry uncontrollably, clutching at his chest, telling his emotions to calm down. He cried bitterly, gasping for breath, terrorized by the gravity of what had just happened. He couldn't go on. He couldn't stand up. He couldn't think. He could hardly breath right now.

So Larsa did the only thing he felt he was able to do. He started to crawl over to the sword that had been flung away during the battle. It took him almost a minute to crawl those fifteen feet, but his mind and body were aching and straining to move. He grabbed the hilt of the sword, and thought of the tassel that Basch had given Vaan. He remembered how much Basch coveted the idea of protecting people. And when he thought about what he had just done, and how brutally it had been done, and how Basch died nobly, standing by his honor, Larsa broke down even more.

He managed to push his hands off the ground so that he could just sit there on his knees, grabbing the hilt of the sword. His vision was blurred by the burning sensation of his tears, yet he could still put the hilt of the sword perpendicular to the ground. He held the sword there, the hilt resting on the ground, the blade up in the air. He swallowed hard, his throat tight, dry, and filled with mucus. He held the sword there for a moment, dry sobbing, letting the tears run down his cheeks, his breathing pattern sounding like he was hyperventilating.

He shut is eyes tight, brought his head back a little, holding the sword in his hand still, and threw his head forward, drawing the blade up right into his neck. He felt the blade slice through his growing Adam's apple, cutting through the delicate flesh of his skin and neck, and pierce right into his wind pipe and esophagus. He used all his might to push the sword in as far as he could. And as his thoughts, dreams, and wishes collected in his mind, a looming blackness fogged over his eyesight, his body relaxed from its paralyzingly tense state, and he slumped to the ground, letting the pool of blood spill out onto the green grass.

This was supposed to be an intense chapter. I hope I made it intense enough. I needed to glorify some of the character's deaths, and make their method of departure appropriate. I also wanted to introduce Delita finally, who is the "young man" and "political advisor" that was so commonly associated with Conpichio and Ammon. I wanted it to very dramatic and climactic, so I did my best to make it appear that way in this chapter.

Also, I'm not sure how many of you may have noticed, but I chose the names of my made-up characters (Ammon and Conpichio) very carefully.

Ammon is an ancient Egyptian name that means hidden. And Perseus is a figure in Greek myth, yet the name itself means destroyer. So when naming him, I wanted him to be named "Hidden Destroyer". Because he's always plotting and second guessing Delita, destroying things as well.

And Conpichio Ptepup? Well, both those names are anagrams. Conpichio is an anagram for Pinnochio. And Ptepup is an anagram for Puppet. Hence, Pinnochio Puppet. Conpichio follows Delita and Ammon without question, so I wanted him to act as a puppet for their causes.

Do not worry though, there is PLENTY more to come: Many more twists, events, and motives. I hope this chapter sparked your interest more than ever, because that was my intent.


	6. Most People Have to Act our Roles

"I demand that you reveal yourself and your intentions!" Ashe yelled at the young blonde man standing in the middle of her bed chamber.

"Please, take into consideration that you are face to face with five esteemed warriors as well," Balthier noted, stepping forward, standing next to Ashe.

"And I'll do anything to make sure that my friends stay alive," Vaan added, also stepping forward, sword drawn, in front of both Ashe and Balthier.

The young blonde man smirked for a moment, looked to his right and left, and then laughed lightly.

"I do not come here to harm anyone. I come to help you, and warn you against dangers that are in our midst," The young blonde man spoke.

"You have done nothing to gain our trust. We do not know who you are or where you come from. And breaking and entering a castle treasury and a Queen's bedroom do not help your case that you're a trustworthy young man," Ashe continued.

"Well, for starters," The young man began, "My name is Ramza Beoulve. I've traveled a great distance, all the way from West Ivalice. My family was a noble, well-known, warrior family, who helped serve in many quarreling wars in West Ivalice. I've been deemed a heretic to that side of the continent. I've been falsely accused because I had uncovered conspiracies within the kingdoms. I collected all of the small stones I spoke to you about, because their power is deadly, uncontrollable, and dangerous. The stones turn their hosts into Lucavi, or demons of the death angel, Altima. I had followed the conspirators, and eventually defeated this angel when he was summoned. After his defeat, my sister and I were presumed dead, and we left the country, knowing we were unwelcome anyways. My old friend Delita had manipulated the kingdoms so that he could eventually round up power for himself, which he did, and he became king of all Western Ivalice. He believed me for dead as well."

"That's a pretty tall tale," Balthier commented. "And I know one, because you can't trick a trickster my friend."

Ramza pulled off a pouch that was hanging from his belt, and took out a handful of stones.

"Here, I have the stones of Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. I have these five stones, and my sister, Alma, who is safe in a mountain town between the East and the West, has a sixth, Serpentarius. The other seven stones had been stolen from me, and now they endanger the well being of Eastern Ivalice," Ramza continued.

"Well, if we are to believe you, we need more proof than this, and you must explain your story further, and why exactly this is all a problem," Ashe spoke. "Let us go downstairs into one of our more comfortable meeting rooms, and we can discuss this matter further. Then, we'll evaluate whether or not we believe in these demons, or these plots."

Ramza nodded, and walked forward toward the door. Vaan walked behind him, and Balthier on the side. Fran took up the rear with her bow slung and ready, and Ashe walked in front, leading the way. They continued down the winding hallways, down a stairwell, where they finally came to the room adjacent to the main hall. Ashe opened the door, only to find that all her political advisors were sitting in the room.

"I swear! I commanded that all of you be dismissed!" Ashe shouted. "I was not joking, and my decision was final!"

"No princess, we understand that," one advisor said, standing up from his chair at the table. "But we've received horrible news, and we thought it might be best if we were here to tell you, and then see if you still wanted us to stay."

"What kind of horrible news can you have for me?" Ashe said impatiently, knowing that this was probably some excuse for the advisors to try to win her favor back.

"Al-Cid has been murdered and found guilty on a premature basis of suspicion for treason. Ammon Perseus has, in his possession, a partially completed letter by Al-Cid addressed to you, written with rhetoric to make it sound as if he was conspiring against Rozarria to leave them open to attack. There is evidentially a witness also, saying that you told him of ideas concerning attacks on Rozarria. This man is none other than Conpichio Ptepup. Al-Cid has been removed from his position, and on a temporary basis, Ammon Perseus has been given the role of king to maintain power, and to help control his country in this time of crisis," The politician spoke gravely.

"What!" Ashe exclaimed. She looked at her friends standing next to her, and could tell they had the same reaction she did by the looks on their faces. "Al-Cid committed no act of treason! And I never spoke of attacking Rozarria! We have maintained peace for years now!"

"We understand that, your highness," the advisor continued. "But there seems to be fearful suspicion that Rozarria is an isolated country. Dalmasca and Archadia have very strong ties now, and since you pick the king of Nabradia, they assumed Nabradia would be in your alliance as well. So they are taking preemptive measures to assure that their country is safe."

"Well, I must meet with Conpichio and see why he has said such a false thing. This is terrible!" Ashe cried out.

"We must contact Larsa as soon as possible," Vaan said to the group. "If Rozarria is preparing attack, then Archadia must be ready to retaliate. It almost seems like a setup. If Archadia maintains peace, then they're still accused of conspiring. But if Rozarria attacks, and Archadia takes up arms, they will use that as evidence that Archadia does not have peaceful intentions. Which is ridiculous, because any country being under attack would take up arms."

"This young man is right," the advisor continued, "except, we have word that King Larsa is dead."

Penelo's legs faltered beneath her as she crumpled and fell to the ground. Fran deftly caught her head from hitting the wall, and Vaan let out a pained sigh and raised his face toward the ceiling.

Ashe stood there shocked for a moment, then stuttered, "H-how did L-Larsa die?"

"It appears as though he committed suicide. He was found in his courtyard office with Judge Gabranth. Judge Gabranth's shoulder was torn out of place, and a large piece of flesh had been bitten out of his neck. It was a bite so large, the only explanation any of their nobles have, is that a wild beast had gotten into the castle and killed him. But yes, Judge Gabranth was also found dead, not more than ten feet away from King Larsa."

"Basch is dead!?" Ashe exclaimed, tears coagulating at the corners of her eyes, a deep pain rising up in her heart.

"Basch? No your highness, Judge Gabranth," the advisor continued.

Ashe felt her mind start to fall apart, things were all disoriented.

"No!" Ashe exclaimed in an angry sadness. "That was Basch! That was Basch von Ronsenburg!"

"Your highness, are you mad? Commander Basch was killed years ago," the political advisor said, concerned with the queen.

_Basch will never be remembered for what he did. They all think he died years ago as a traitor_, Ashe thought.

"Ashe," Balthier said calmly, taking her hand. "You must go rest right now. We will take Penelo as well, and we can let things settle down."

"No, Balthier," Ashe said defiantly. "I am the Queen of Dalmasca in this time of chaos. I need to remain strong during this time."

"Ashe, you need to rest. I'm not asking you relieve your command, but just relax for an hour, tops. You know you will be able to think much clearer," Balthier soothed.

She nodded, wiping tears off of her cheek. She turned and looked down at Penelo, who had buried her head in her hands, silently sobbing. Vaan was by her side, and he helped her stand. Ashe, Balthier, Vaan, and Penelo turned to walk out of the room.

Ashe stopped for a moment though, turned, and asked, "Do they have any idea why Larsa committed suicide? Do they know what might have happened?"

The political advisor shook his head. "It's a very strange event, your highness. There were claw marks that had cut straight through the breastplate of Judge Gabranth's armor, and a gash that must have been from a sword on Larsa's forearm. He put the Judge's sword through his own throat, and was lying in the middle of the courtyard. His clothing was tattered and ripped, and a small purple stone was lying next to him."

Ashe's face turned pale as her head snapped in Ramza's direction, as did Vaan's, Balthier's, Fran's, and Penelo's, to look at the young man.

"Their organization, as well as ours, is trying to piece it all together, but nobody has a single clue, theory, or sound explanation for what happened," the advisor finished.

"I shall speak with this young man," Fran said in a calm voice to Ashe. "You must all rest for now and recuperate."

Balthier nodded to Fran, and led Ashe and Penelo out with Vaan.

Fran looked at Ramza and said, "Follow me. I am very interested in the story that you must tell."

Ramza nodded to Fran, and followed her out of the room, leaving the political advisors to speak amongst themselves. They walked to the castle door, and the guards acknowledged Fran as a friend of the Queen. Fran and Ramza waked out into the sun. It was midafternoon now. They continued to walk, and Fran led him around the corner to Clan Centurio. She found her old friend Montblanc at the top of the stairs.

"Fran! It's a pleasure to see you again! Kupo!" Montblanc greeted happily.

"It is a pleasure to see you as well, Montblanc. We are in a bit of a crisis now though, and I request that you let us use one of your private sitting rooms for a little while," Fran replied.

"Kupo! Of course, right this way!" Montblanc replied, hopping down from the bannister, and waddling over to a door on the side of the room. He hopped up in the air, turned the door knob nimbly and pushed the door open. "Take your time! Kupo!"

Fran walked in the room, Ramza following close behind her. She shut the door, letting Ramza take a seat at the small table there. She sat across from him, eager to hear his story.

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Balthier and Vaan led the two crying young women to Ashe's bedroom. Balthier took the key from Ashe, unlocked the door, and opened it for them. Ashe and Penelo walked over to her bed, and collapsed on top of it as soon as they got near.

"Can I get either of you a glass of water?" Balthier asked, his pained voice masked with a tone of calmness.

Both girls nodded, and Balthier motioned to Vaan to follow him. The two men left the room, shutting the door behind them and locking it, making sure that nobody else was to enter that room.

They walked down the hall in complete silence, listening to nothing except the sound of their feet stepping on the carpet and the distant chirps of birds outside the sadness of the castle walls. The pantry was not too far away from the bedroom, and when they walked in, they found that the kitchen was empty. Apparently, the chefs and cooks had no orders to prepare meals, so it made sense that nobody would be in there.

Balthier walked over to a counter top, let out a loud sigh and placed his hands on the counter, stabilizing himself. Vaan lightly fell back against the wall, letting his head hit the wallpapered wall delicately.

"I mourn for young Larsa, but it pains me even more to think of Basch," Balthier mumbled. "His life was not where he wanted it to be. I had a deep and special conversation with him before we departed for home. And I promised that we'd all find our perfect ending."

"He must have died protecting Larsa," Vaan added. "Which is a noble cause. And I feel a swelling sadness inside of me, but man, it just doesn't seem real."

"Vaan. You know what we need to do right?" Balthier said, his eyes turning bloodshot. "You know what we sky pirates do, right?"

Vaan turned his head to focus his eyes on Balthier's murderous stare, saying, "Oh yeah. I know, Balthier. We're going to find out what happened, and end all these problems. We're going to get to the bottom of this Rozarrian impulse to attack us, and we're going to get our revenge. Basch taught me that a good man, is one who spends his life protecting something. And I'm going to protect everything. I'm going to protect Penelo, my best friend, Ashe, my Queen, you and Fran, my teachers, my country, my life, Basch's memory, honor, and wisdom. I'm going to protect it all, and somebody is going to pay."

Balthier nodded numbly in agreement. "Vaan, hearing you say that. I realized that as long as you're protecting something, your life isn't empty. It may be boring, and it may become tedious, but it's never without cause or concern. And by keeping someone or something alive, your life has purpose." Balthier clenched his fists tightly, swallowed hard and continued, "And now I'm going to do everything I can to protect all those things you just mentioned. That's the purpose I've been searching for."

Vaan looked at Balthier with a confused look. He never realized Balthier might have had all these internal questions.

"This is a sad time for our country, and especially for us. Al-Cid, Larsa, and Basch are all dead. And apparently, there's a looming danger present in this country. I can put on a mask of assured coolness, but it's just a mask sometimes, Vaan. It feels like I'm just acting out a part. But I don't want to feel that way. Ever since my Dad started to love nethecite more than me, and I left him, Archadia, the position of Judge, and my old life, it's been tough. And things like this don't make it any easier," Balthier spoke slowly.

"Balthier, I never realized you might have had all of this inside of you," Vaan said, concerned for his friend's feelings, based on this out of character conduct.

"Vaan, you have to realize that we're all just human. We all may act, and say certain things, but at our core, we all experience the same feelings and emotions," Balthier replied.

"I can sympathize with you. I was nothing but an street urchin. I was a petty thief who was looking for something to hold onto. At first it was that silly dream of being a sky pirate for no good reason. But over these past four years, I realized that I've been holding onto it all along."

"So, let's make a pact then. A pact as sky pirates, friends, men, and brothers," Balthier started. "We protect those closest to us, our ideals, our country, our memories, and our honor."

"Definitely," Vaan said, his voice for that moment sounding as light as it was when he was 17. "It's a pact. Let's get the girls some water now."

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Penelo was still sobbing silently on Ashe's bed, curled up into a ball. Ashe was drying her tears, trying to compose herself. She had never cried like this before, but there had just been so much emotional strain lately, these events had come upon her when she was very worn down. She put her hand on Penelo's shuddering shoulder, trying to comfort the girl.

Penelo's body tensed up as she sat up quickly.

"Do you know what it's like!" Penelo cried, her voice cracking from a sob in her throat. "I try to be happy all the time! I try to always make the best of things! But no matter how I act, or what I do, bad things still happen!"

Ashe stared at Penelo curiously, wondering what must be going through her mind right now.

"Don't look at me like that! You know exactly what I'm saying!" Penelo shouted at Ashe. "Don't give me that confused look! You know exactly what I'm damn talking about!"

"Penelo, calm down, talk to me. Let this all out, what's wrong?" Ashe soothed, shifting her weight on the bed to face Penelo.

Penelo was still crying and sobbing, trying to speak between the sobs, "I do my best to be happy! I do my best to make things better! I try to block out all the negative thoughts! I put on this mask of happiness! Like I'm just playing some role!"

Penelo paused to catch her breath and wipe her tears. Her tears did not come down silently, she was coughing and heaving painful sounds from her throat. "When I was growing up, and I saw what Vaan was going through losing his whole family, and saw the pain of the common people on the streets of Rabanastre, I tried to always ignore that pain. I tried to never let anything negative into my head, because I thought if everything was always positive, then I'd always be happy! But things aren't positive! And I'm not happy!"

Ashe looked down at the bed comforter, trying to understand what the girl was saying.

"And when things like this happen! Where people I love die for no good reason, I can't block that out! And it kills me inside! That positive attitude I always have is nothing but a facade anymore! It's a mask! I do it because I always thought it made the people around me happy, but in the process it's torturing me inside, that I can't be true to my feelings."

Ashe looked back up at Penelo, who's eyes were red, and swelling from the tears that still rolled down her tender cheeks.

"Don't just sit there silently! You know what I'm talking about! It's all fake! It's all just a mask. Don't just sit there and think that you don't _fucking_ know what I'm talking about!"

The curse that came out of Penelo's mouth so effortlessly shocked Ashe. Coming from Penelo, it struck a chord deep in Ashe's heart, and Ashe started to really understand what Penelo was saying.

"I'm just... wearing the mask of a dignified Queen," Ashe said slowly and sadly.

"I can tell! When you saw all of us for the first time I'd never seen you so happy! I'd never seen you so carefree! It's because you always wear this stupid mask to be a strong and fearless Queen! Are we all just acting out some stupid role or something! Because that's awful! I'm sick of trying to pretend to be happy when we live in an area constantly threatened by war! I'm tired of standing by happily while the boy I love more than anything is becoming a deadly killing machine! I can't be happy and positive when one of my best friends commit suicide, and a man who I thought was stronger than anyone is killed in a courtyard doing a job for which he wasn't even HIMSELF. Basch wasn't even himself, he was Gabranth. I can't just let that sit on my shoulders!"

Ashe knew exactly what Penelo was talking about. She was tired of being controlled by her position as Queen. She was tired of having to stay in the castle and worry about people with bad intentions. She was depressed and alone inside; a girl who lost much because of her position, and had to live with the guilt that there were people and soldiers willing to die for her. But they weren't even willing to die for who she really was, it was just because she was Queen. If she was anyone else, nobody would care to protect her.

"Nobody cares about who I am," Ashe said sadly, wiping her runny nose.

This caused Penelo to stop her rant for a second and glance at Ashe, who's shoulders hung limp, body was lax, and eyes drooped gloomily.

"Why would you say that?" Penelo asked, a line of apparent anger in her voice.

Ashe did not immediately respond.

"Why would you say that!!" Penelo screamed at the Queen, pounding the bed with her fist. "Vaan, Balthier, Fran, Basch, and myself have always fought for you! If one of us died protecting you, would you think that we didn't care about who really were!"

Ashe was still silent, soaking in all the feelings and thoughts that had just overrun her mind.

"Would you think that we don't care about who you really are?! You'd let our death be in vain! You'd let us die, and you'd think that we did it because we don't care who you really are?!"

"Yes!" Ashe finally snapped, screaming back at Penelo.

Penelo's face bunched up in anger, her eyebrows slanting down, an even larger frown forming on her face. She leaned forward and shoved Ashe, nearly pushing her off the bed.

"Why would you say that!" Penelo screamed, tears starting to roll from her eyes again.

"Why wouldn't I say that!" Ashe yelled back, angry from not only her thoughts but from the physical force from Penelo. "You just said so yourself! We're all just wearing nothing but a mask! RIGHT?! If I wasn't a queen, nobody would care who I was! Nobody would be my bodyguard, nobody would believe in me, nobody would fight for me, nobody would care about my feelings!"

"Ashe, you are so wrong," Penelo said slowly, shaking her head in disbelief. "We met you because you were Queen, but we did not follow you, befriend you, trust you, or come to love you because of it. I'm here with you because you mean as much to me as anybody else that I hold close. The only thing your status has to do with anything, is that we met you because of it. That's it."

"Well then what's all this stuff you're talking about with masks, and not being yourself!" Ashe cried angrily, confused, and frustrated.

"I mean that we need to be true to ourselves! I meant that we need to forget pretending to act sometimes and just do what makes us comfortable with ourselves! We need to be true to who we really are and what our needs are," Penelo replied, trying to explain herself.

"Penelo, you don't understand the burden that I have placed on my shoulders. As a queen, I must wear this mask, and carry out my responsibilities, because countless others depend on me. I do what I do for the greater good and the lives of others!" Ashe cried.

And then it came to her. It was an epiphany. A revelation. And she realized her life was not empty. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and with her hand, brushed back some of the hair that was falling over her face. And she reached out, and clasped Penelo's hand in hers.

"Penelo, we wear this mask sometimes because we do it for those we love. We were thinking of it as a bad thing, but it really isn't. I wear this mask of Queen so I can protect my country, and protect the people willing to die for me from harm, just as they're willing to die to protect me from harm. And by doing that, it may be hard on our emotions, and on what we truly want to do. But it shouldn't be a bad thing. You try to be positive and happy, so that you can make everybody else happy, and so you can always try to make the best of situations," Ashe said, contemplating everything she was saying as she spoke it.

Penelo nodded, and her eyes started to dry, her sobs become fainter.

"And we go through these facades because they help the ones we love. If we ever are fake, or are just acting, for any other reason than to help those we care about, then it's a bad thing. But until then, it's just a form of expressing our concern. And I guess if you feel that it's not true to yourself, then I guess it's not a bad thing to change it. Because it's always good to stay true to yourself. But, I guess sometimes things need to be done, even when we don't want to do it. But eventually, and even if it doesn't not seem so sometimes, everything works out for the best," Ashe finished.

"You're right," Penelo nodded, now fully calmed. "And I think being positive, and being happy, is true to myself. I just think that every so often I need to express sadness and anger, because it's impossible to just bottle everything up inside for so long."

"And I think being a queen, and being determined, and fearless, is true to myself. But I too realize that sometimes, you can't always bottle the stress up, and try to make it all go away. I need to loosen up and enjoy myself when I can," Ashe added.

Penelo smiled, and Ashe smiled back. Suddenly, things didn't seem so bad. Things didn't seem like they were going to a dead end.

And although Penelo felt better because of this fact, there was still a small sadness in her heart, not for the loss of her friends, but because she realized something else. To her, things no longer seemed like a dead end, so she could continue on. But for Larsa, in his last moments, he must have felt that there was nowhere else to turn and nothing else to do, and so at his most vulnerable, suicide felt like his only option. This pained Penelo, because she knew that Larsa had many other options and things he could do. And she realized that, even when things seem impossible, it might just be that you couldn't see the solution. But that didn't mean it wasn't there. She took a deep breath, leaned forward, and gave Ashe a big hug. Ashe returned the embrace, and rubbed Penelo's back, pulled away, and then kissed her on the forehead.

"This was something I really needed to get out of my system," Ashe spoke. "Thank you Penelo."

"And thank you, Ashe," Penelo replied, smiling, her eyes still a little red and puffy.

The door lock jiggled, clicked and turned, and Balthier and Vaan walked in, each holding a glass of water in their hand.

"You two doing okay?" Balthier asked, a little surprised to see how much the girls had calmed down.

"We're doing as okay as we could be," Ashe replied, standing up and walking over to Balthier. She took the glass of water from his hand, placed it on the desk next to them, and then wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, resting her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

"Ashe?" Balthier questioned, returning the embrace, but still somewhat taken aback by the gesture.

"Thank you for everything, Balthier. I'll never forget the things you've done to help me and save me," Ashe whispered softly, her eyes shut gently, resting comfortably in his arms.

"Of course," Balthier replied softly, while thinking much more in his head: _And thank you Ashe, for giving me a reason to continue doing what I'm doing. My life will always have meaning as long as you're with me._

Penelo also stood up from the bed and walked over to Vaan, nearly imitating what Ashe had done, both of the girls doing it simultaneously. She took the glass of water and set it down on the short table next to them. She wrapped her arms around his waist, held him close, just feeling the motion of his chest moving up and down with every breath.

"Thank you, Vaan," Penelo whispered. "I'll always be here when your life seems like it's a dead end."

_Balthier, our pact is one that we must hold to religiously. It is because of these thoughts and emotions that we must do our best to protect and defend those we love_, Vaan thought to himself, then saying, "Penelo, as long as you're with me, my life will never be a dead end."

He loosened her embrace, kept one hand on her slender hip, and moved his other hand to hold her chin lightly. He gazed into her eyes as she stared back into his. He looked past the slight puffiness of her eyes, ignoring pinkish tint of her eyelids, and stared deep into her eyes, as she did the same, and felt a connection between their hearts, as if they were one. And he somehow understood what she had just been feeling, and what she had realized; Likewise, Penelo understood and felt the same of Vaan.

He gently lifted her chin upward, and brought his head forward. Both of them closed their eyes, and pressed their lips tenderly together, forming what felt like a fleeting rush of relief and happiness, a harmonious sensation of joy and acceptance, and a love that was deeper than anything that spoken word could describe.

Ashe and Balthier, still connected in their own embrace, looked over at the young couple, vicariously comforted by the emotions Vaan and Penelo shared. And they too forgot temporarily about all their problems, soothed and reassured by the presence of true love.

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Yeah I really wanted to put a lot of emotion into this chapter. I felt that my story needed to be more about the characters thoughts and feelings, and I always looked at the characters of Final Fantasy XII thinking that they were all amiable characters, just somewhat one-sided. Only a few times do we ever see the characters contemplate emotion, and it was usually a brief comment between Ashe and Vaan.

I really wanted to play upon the idea of purpose though. And I wanted to make what Basch stood for as the driving force behind the character breakdowns, because I felt that it would glorify who he was and what he sacrificed as a man and as a character.

I also used the word mask and role a lot, referring to a quote Delita said in the previous chapter that, "Most people have to act out roles given to them. Then again, most of them haven't even noticed they're acting." I really do love this quote because it's very true, and maybe not in our daily lives, but certainly in the lives of the FFXII characters. I wanted it to be a driving theme throughout the rest of the story, and many of his thoughts and beliefs will come up again, as will Ramza's, to kind of play as a foil to each other, letting you, the reader, sort some of the characters thoughts out.

I just thought it'd be nice to have the Final Fantasy XII characters realize that sometimes they're just playing roles, but it's not as bad as Delita makes it sound. That the roles the characters play are ones that they choose and believe in. So, I know these past 2 chapters have been very different from my first few, but I like the way this is going right now, and I really hope you do too.


	7. Virgo

"Okay, Ramza. As you can tell, I'm not a Hume. I'm what they call a viera. I'm much older than I look, and you'd never be able to tell. I do not reveal my age to anybody, but I can assure you, I've been living for at least triple your lifetime, judging by how old you yourself appear to be," Fran spoke. "I already have learned much about these stones, and I know small pieces of history concerning St. Ajora, the zodiac braves, and the concept of the Lucavi that you spoke of. So fill in the rest for me."

Ramza nodded and said, "I grew up as just a regular soldier in my father's army. My brothers were involved in a great power struggle between kingdoms that goes so deep sometimes I can't even sort it out myself. But the bottom line is, I came upon these zodiac stones and the people they controlled. I realized that the church, which was a powerful organization, was corrupted by these zodiac stones. I uncovered lots of information pertaining to the stones, and the Temple Knights that had been created in order to collect them and resurrect St. Ajora. Eventually, I followed these stones and the leader of the Temple Knights down into Murond Death City, where they successfully summoned him. St. Ajora was really the demon, Altima, and my party and I destroyed the angel of death. In the process, most of Murond Death City was destroyed, and all my friends were killed. The only ones to escape successfully were my sister and myself."

Fran nodded, taking in everything that Ramza was telling.

"Once we escaped, people thought that we had died like the rest of my comrades. But, during our funeral, my sister, Alma, and I rode by quickly, and our friend Olan saw us both. Well, in the process of my great journey to defeat Altima, my friend Delita had been manipulating all the kingdoms to destroy each other, so that in the end, he would rise up and unite everyone. Somehow, he did it. He became the King of Western Ivalice. Well, when I defeated Altima, I had all the zodiac stones in my possession. Olan had seen Alma and I, and from there, I guess he went to Delita to tell him that we were still alive. I think Delita was scared of the idea of my return, and nervous that there was the possibility that I had all the zodiac stones," Ramza continued.

Fran let this all sink in because it was a lot to swallow, and a lot of it was history which she hadn't ever heard of. This fact intruiged her, because she had lived to experience and learn most of history.

"So, Alma and I had left West Ivalice, and decided to travel together. We went through the woods toward the East. And from what I've gathered, Delita formed a whole new core of Temple Knights to come after me. Delita sent his Temple Knights to search for me, and they began to travel East, interrogating people, spreading out over the countryside, trying to locate me. It was two years ago that I defeated Altima, and after two years of searching, the knights had finally located me, sent word to Delita, and Delita took a temporary leave from the kingdom to come after me. When Alma and I were traveling one day, we were surrounded and overrun by these knights. They captured me and took my pouch of zodiac stones. They opened the pouch and started to take a few of the stones out, but in the process, I had gotten myself free from the guards who were holding me, I snatched the pouch of zodiac stones, and took one of their swords and started to slay a whole bunch of them. This gave Alma time to mount her Chocobo, and I jumped on quickly to get away," Ramza went on.

Fran was now very interested in this man's story, and it excited her to think that there was something very big in the works.

"Well, we got to a local town, and I found that they had taken seven of the thirteen stones. I had six left. I gave Alma Serpentarius, which was one of the most dangerous stones, and I took the rest to protect myself. I had heard from some local taverns that Delita had taken his knights and traveled East to East Ivalice, but I had no idea what he might be doing. All I know, is that Delita is in control of some of the zodiac stones, and judging by Larsa's death, he was given a stone by someone, most likely Delita. I have no idea what Delita is planning though, how he's using the stones, why he's using the stones, or why he's even in the East. I'm just concerned about collecting the stones and preventing anything bad from happening."

"What exactly are these Temple Knights you spoke of?" Fran asked, trying to clear up the story as best as she could.

"They are knights who are dedicated to finding the stones and reviving St. Ajora. I'm not sure if Delita wants to revive him, but I can see no reason why he would. Delita's Temple Knights wear black pants, green tunics, and a silver cape with the crest of a Lion. Have you seen any of them around?" Ramza asked.

Suddenly it really started to make sense to Fran, she said, "Actually yes, we have. Out in Estersand next to this city, Vaan had cut open a wolf and found the stone of Aries inside. We later went back, and found that there was a dead man lying there, and we assumed the wolves attacked him, killed him, and started to eat him, which would explain how a stone ended up in the wolf's stomach. At the time, we didn't know who the man was, but now it's clear that he was one of these Temple Knights."

"It's strange that the was all alone in the desert though," Ramza pondered out loud. "I wonder if maybe some of the knights were swayed by the stones power, or if that one Temple Knight was taken over by the stone's power. I don't think we'll ever find the answer to that."

"But, please, tell me everything you know, Ramza," Fran pleaded. "This is evidentially a part of history that people do not get to hear, and I believe the knowledge will become handy in the times to come. I'm sure the others will be relaxing and getting ready for the next few hours, so we have plenty of time."

"Are you sure?" Ramza questioned. "My story really could take hours to explain the kingdoms, the wars preceding it, the events, the people, and everything else."

"I want to hear it all," Fran stated, her eyes lighting up with a hidden excitement.

"Very well. But first, what is your name?" Ramza asked, forming a smile.

Fran actually smirked, something she didn't do very often. It must have been the idea of new history, or the excitement she felt for the events to come. But she ignored it, and said, "I apologize. My name is Fran."

Ramza nodded, and continued his story.

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_We're making perfect time_, Ammon thought to himself. _Our airship is right on time, and if Delita's airship meets us exactly at the rendezvous point, we should have no problem_.

"So do you know what we're doing right now, exactly?" Conpichio asked, sitting next to Ammon in the room at the back of their airship.

"We're meeting Delita in Rabanastre so that we may make a trip to Queen Ashe," Ammon replied.

"But, won't she distrust what we have to say, since I lied about her ideas of war with Rozarria?" Conpichio questioned further.

"Oh she doesn't have to trust us. We're just going to state what our position is right now, and what might happen," Ammon added. "She doesn't know the power we hold with the zodiac stones, and Delita doesn't necessarily know why we decided to go ahead and kill Al-Cid."

"Are you willing to use the zodiac stone?" Conpichio asked.

"I most certainly am. I was speaking to the Temple Knights again earlier, and they gave me some very useful information. I was going to tell you all of this later, but we have time before we arrive, it wouldn't hurt," Ammon replied. "I found out how to use the power of the stone, and how we may summon Altima so that we can use his power in battle."

"Please, go on! I had no idea you found this out!" Conpichio said, very excited.

"Evidentially, the stone responds to its bearer when its bearer has much despair and resentment in his heart, and when he can open open his will and body for the stone's use," Ammon continued. "And to summon Ajora, we must first find the perfect host body, which resonates with the stone of Virgo. Then, we'd have to travel to West Ivalice to Murond Death City, which is beneath a place called the Orbonne Monastery. It is there, that with the host body, we could summon Altima."

"Then let is use the power of the stones right now," Conpichio said, eager to test it out.

Ammon smirked and replied, "You really want to?"

Conpichio nodded eagerly, and took his stone out of his pocket, then said, "But how will we know if we find a host body. Do we have the stone of Virgo?"

Ammon continued to smirk and answered, "Whether coincidentally, luckily, or on purpose, the stone Delita gave me was the stone of Virgo. I also coerced him into giving me the stone of Cancer as well. If we are to use the stone's power, I'd rather use Cancer and save Virgo to look for the host body."

Both young man took their zodiac stones out of their pockets and clasped it tightly in their hands. They both thought of their will for power, and let their resentment and need summon the zodiac stone. Simultaneously, both stones rose in the air, and repeated the same things that they had to young Larsa.

Ammon and Conpichio opened themselves to the stones power, and with a large bang and lots of sparks, the stones started to resonate. The stones, as if magnetically attracted to their bodies, flew toward their chests and mended into their bodies. There were explosions of smoke as both young man started to transform, and in a moment, it was all over, and they stood there face to face as demons, hosts of the Lucavi.

These men had more power over their will and mind than Larsa did. And there was more resentment in their hearts, and their ideas were more in tune with what the Lucavi wished to achieve. So they felt their minds slightly controlled, but they were not in any way as controlled and taken over as Larsa's zodiac stone. Both men were satisfied with their stones acceptance of them.

"This is perfect," Ammon said happily, cackling in his demon voice.

"We are now unstoppable, immortal even," Conpichio added, looking down at his transformed body.

"How do we get out of this form, though?" Ammon asked.

And suddenly, the Lucavi in the zodiac stone spoke to him, _To return to your form, just release your mind, and wish to transform back. And it shall be so. And when resentment and despair rises up again, and you call on me, I will be here inside of you already. I will be your driving force._

And so Ammon did as he was told, and relayed the message to Conpichio, and both men transformed back into their normal human forms, their clothes still intact.

"Amazing," Ammon said in wonder and awe.

"Good timing too, we're just about there," Conpichio added, turning and looking out the window.

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Delita was already waiting in the Aerodome for his subordinates. He had a pack of Temple Knights behind him, and when he saw Ammon and Conpichio, he saw that they had some of his Temple Knights as well.

"You two murdered found Al-Cid guilty of treason I heard," Delita said slowly. "And now he's dead, and you are pronounced king, Ammon. Very good. Anything to help your cause helps mine."

Ammon nodded, and Conpichio smiled, ecstatic that his advisor accepted their act of independence. Delita would no doubt then be pleased to know that they were going to summon Altima to help their cause. They decided to keep that a secret though, so that they could show Delita that they were capable of doing some things themselves.

The three young man and the twelve Temple Knights they had with them walked through the streets of Rabanastre, straight toward the Queen's Palace. When they came to the castle doors, the guards asked them who they were, but all they got were slit throats.

Delita yanked the door open, laughing inside at how easy it was for them to enter. The castle's defenses obviously had not been fully tested before. The group of them walked into the main hall of the castle, which was surprisingly empty.

They heard voices in a room adjacent to them, so Delita walked over to the closed doors, and without a knock, opened both at once. All of Ashe's political advisors turned their heads in surprise to see who it was.

"Who are you!" One shouted.

"I am here with Ammon Perseus and Conpichio Ptepup to see Queen Ashelia," Delita stated. "You will tell us where she is, or you are all dead, and we will find her ourselves."

"She is up in her bedroom right now, but if you give us a moment young sirs, we can-" one political advisor stated.

Delita nodded turned around, and started to lead his men up toward the stairs to find a servant so they could ask where the bedroom was. One of the advisors rushed toward the door to stop them from walking, but was stopped when one of the Temple Knights unsheathed his sword and sliced the man's head off. No other advisors rushed after Delita.

Delita indeed found a servant though, and when threatened by death, the servant instantly gave up the position of the bedroom. Delita, Ammon, and Conpichio continued down the maze of hallways until they finally came to the door.

Conpichio reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the stone, calling upon the Lucavi to change his body. It was much quicker this time, and he transformed in no longer than three seconds. Delita's eyes widened when he saw the transformation.

"That's right, Delita. We can do things for our own," Ammon smirked.

Conpichio took a step toward the door and then body slammed it, throwing the immense weight of the demon through the wooden door. Ammon, Delita, and the other knights quickly filled into the room, completely taking Vaan, Ashe, Balthier, and Penelo by surprise. They had all been in different areas of the room; Vaan standing next to the bed, Ashe sitting in a chair, Penelo sitting on a bed, Balthier leaning against the wall. Everybody jumped up in fright and excitement, Vaan, Balthier, and Ashe drawing their weapons.

Delita took a step toward Ashe, saying, "Lady Ashe. I am here to warn you against the dangers of Rozarria. Surrender now, or things will not go peacefully."

"Who do you think you are!" Ashe yelled at Delita. Then she turned to Conpichio, "How dare you lie to the Rozarrians! I never spoke of war against them, ever!"

Conpichio had already gone back to his human form, and replied, "What's done is done Lady Ashe. You have a decision to make."

"Get out of here!" Balthier yelled. "Now! What nerve do you have entering a castle and breaking through into the Queen's bedroom!"

Ammon's eyes were fixated on Penelo. He looked at Conpichio and whispered, teeming with excitement, "Conpichio! That girl! She's resonating with Virgo! She's the perfect host body for Altima!"

Conpichio narrowed his eyes at her as Delita talked to the Queen and the other people in the room.

"Do we take her and leave for West Ivalice?" Conpichio whispered back quickly.

"We do might not have a second chance. Right now, go grab her, and we'll run out of here. We'll tell Delita why afterward," Ammon replied.

Conpichio nodded, and in the blink of an eye he had leapt forward across the room after embracing the stone and transforming again, and with his newfound strength he easily hoisted Penelo off of the bed. Balthier and Vaan were almost on top of him instantly, their weapons poised to strike. Ammon had come forward at the same time though, his sword drawn, and as Vaan was moving toward Conpichio, Ammon had swung his sword out and sliced Vaan right above his left eye across his forehead.

Delita instantly stopped talking, confused by what was going on, and Ashe did the same, startled by what just happened. Conpichio leapt backward with Penelo hanging over his shoulder; Ammon following right behind him.

Vaan and Balthier came right after them, meeting the wall of Temple Knights instead. Delita had retreated to the hallway where Conpichio and Ammon now stood.

"What are you doing!" Delita hissed.

"This girl resonates with the stone of Virgo, she's the host body for Altima," Ammon stated. "We already have Chocobos and supplies ready, we're going to be back as soon as we can with Altima. Just keep instigating the war, and we'll be back with the angel of death."

"You're going to revive WHO!?" Delita yelled, outraged at the name.

"Don't worry, Delita. We'll make you proud," Conpichio added. "We must go before they catch up with us."

Delita was left standing in shock over what he had just heard. He looked back into the room and saw that his life was now in danger, so he dashed down the hallway, and outside into the city streets.

Meanwhile, Vaan and Balthier had their hands full with the Temple Knights. Vaan swung his sword over his head and down across one of the knights, twirling around, and using his momentum he swung his sword again at the next knight, slicing his head clear off of his neck. Balthier had his pistol drawn shooting down the knights in front of him. When he had shot down three he ran forward and drove his dagger deep into the throat of another knight. There were so many people crowded into such a small room, there was hardly anywhere for the knights to go. They just toppled over their comrades dead bodies and struggled to parry any kinds of blows from Vaan's sword. In less than a minute, Vaan and Balthier had killed every single one of them, and dashed out into the hallway after Penelo's captors, leaving Ashe in her bloodied bedroom.

Balthier and Vaan both hopped up on the railing of the stairs and slid down quickly, passing the dead body of Ashe's political advisor, and then out the doors, past the dead bodies of the guards. When they got outside though, Conpichio, Ammon, and Delita were nowhere in sight, and the marketplace looked as if nothing had happened. Vaan looked at Balthier with a fury in his eyes, panting for breath, scared and afraid.

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When Balthier and Vaan walked back inside the castle, there was an advisor waiting for them.

"The young man in the black cape, with the slicked back brown hair, wanted me to give you a message. He said to go to West Ivalice, find the Orbonne Monastery, and go deep into its cellars to find the passage to the Murond Death City. He mentioned something about it being very urgent, that you needed to stop Altima's resurrection or some nonsense like that," the advisor said.

Behind them, they heard footsteps. Balthier and Vaan turned and saw Ramza and Fran conversing amongst themselves. Balthier ran at Ramza and grabbed his neck, "We need answers, NOW," he commanded.

"What happened?" Ramza asked, caught off guard by the sudden act.

"I'll tell you what happened!" Balthier exclaimed. "Ammon, Conpichio, and a man with brown, slicked back hair barged in here with some knights, threatened Ashe with war, and the next thing we know, there's this huge demon in the room picking up Penelo and running away with Ammon. The other man got away, we slay all the knights, and Penelo's gone. And now, this advisor here, is telling us that the man with brown hair is telling us to go to West Ivalice. Something about stopping the resurrection of Altima. You want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Ramza's face got very stern when he heard this, and said, "We must leave right away. Round up chocobos for whoever is going, but we must get to West Ivalice as soon as possible. Those men have the zodiac stones, and are going to revive the death angel Altima that I defeated a few years ago. I'm afraid that young girl, Penelo you called her, was chosen by the Virgo stone to be the host body. If you want to save her, we need to leave now."

Vaan sighed heavily and Balthier let Ramza's neck go, cursing in frustration. Ashe was standing at the top of the stairwell.

"Dammit, Vaan! We go through all of us, make that pact, and look what happens!" Balthier yelled, visibly frustrated.

"We need to save Penelo," Ashe said, walking down the stairs.

"I'm definitely going," Vaan spoke.

"Me too, absolutely," Balthier added.

"Then I shall accompany you," Fran put in.

"And I'm going to need to guide you through the deserts and to Murond Death City," Ramza said.

"Well then, I'm coming also," Ashe blurted.

Everybody looked at the Queen, who was now walking over to them.

"Ashe, you must remain here, where it's safe," Vaan said.

"No!" Ashe shouted. "I will not just stay here when Penelo needs my protection. I will not wear the mask of the Queen when something like this is going on."

"Ashe, you're forgetting the bigger picture. Larsa is dead. Al-Cid is dead. Nabradia has no ruler. Rozarria is on the verge of war. Ammon and Conpichio are gone west. You, the last ruler, need to stay here, make peace, organize the people, and unite the area," Balthier added.

Ashe considered that a moment, and then spoke, "Okay. But I'm not going not because I don't want to protect her. I'm not going because I need to make this place safe and peaceful for when you all bring her back. That's how I'll protect you all, by keeping this place intact for your return. And you WILL bring her back, okay?"

Balthier, Vaan, Fran, and Ramza nodded.

"Are you going right at this moment?" Ashe asked. "Because you might want to clean that wound up, Vaan."

Vaan felt above his right eyebrow where Ammon had slashed him. The blood had trickled around the side of his face past his eye. Vaan was so caught up in what had just happened that he paid no attention to the wound.

"No, we can clean this up on the way if need be. We have no time to waste though," Vaan replied.

So they all said their goodbyes, and then rushed to the chocobo pen as fast as they could. They knew they had no time to waste.

Ashe could only stand at the doorway and watch them run through the streets, off on a dangerous journey, to save a girl who needed saving. She sighed, angry that she couldn't accompany them, and then turned around and walked back into her castle. She had lots of work to complete while they were gone.

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Delita had already gotten to the chocobo pen, and was riding his chocobo off into the desert, with another chocobo following behind packed with food, weapons, tents, and blankets.

He thought out his plan in his head, and contemplated how this rash decision by his subordinates might affect his own outcome. He smiled when he realized that no matter what they did now, his plan was already in full gear, and in no time, he would accomplish what he had set out to do.


	8. Serpentarius

Everybody my plot line is about to get veryyy in depth. I purposely wanted to emulate the many factors, shifts of power, and people that Final Fantasy Tactics embraced as a story line. And although right now it may seem like this is more of a Tactics story than a XII story, I can guarantee you it's not. I don't intend to continue the story for too long of a time in FFT Ivalice, I just merely wanted the characters to experience new worlds, new events, while letting nostalgic fans imagine the possibilities. I still have a lot of plot twists coming, character development coming, and action coming in the next few chapters like you can't even imagine. Sooooo here it goes :D

Vaan, Balthier, Fran, and Ramza rode through the Sandseas on their chocobos at blazing speed. They wanted to waste no time whatsoever, and if they were lucky enough, they might even head off Conpichio, Ammon, and their battalion of Temple Knights. It took them a little longer to prepare than they had liked. The owner of the city chocobo pen was reluctant to give up so many of his chocobos. Ramza explained to the group the massive distance and dangers that they had to cover in the process, and that it was necessary for them to have as many as ten chocobos with them. They needed tents, lots of weapons, an immense amount of medical supplies, extra clothing, blankets, and as much food as they could carry. Right now they all rode upon their own chocobo with an additional six chocobos acting as packhorses, all connected by rope and herded by the four riders. It took a lot of time to gather supplies, convince the chocobo owner, and map out a reasonable trail thought out by Ramza.

"So let me get this straight!" Vaan yelled to Ramza over the stamping feet of the chocobos. "We need to travel through the deserts and across the Ordalia continent. Then we travel through the mountains, across the river valleys, into more mountain caverns, and then across more desert!?"

Ramza nodded and yelled back, "Exactly! But we're stopping at a small mountain town shortly so that I can tell my sister, Alma, where I'm headed. She's been waiting a for about two weeks without word for me, and I want to just let her know what's going on!"

Vaan nodded in understanding, and the group continued on across the deserts and plains until the mountains became visible off in the distant horizon.

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After many hours, the party finally came face to face with the mountain range. The tall peaks loomed over them with overbearing intimidation. Dark clouds floated in the sky; a light wind passing over the summit. The chocobos stood there, resting, panting moderately with their heads down, as if they could sense the hardship and danger they were about to race into.

Ramza waved his hand forward after a few minutes of rest. He pulled the harness on his chocobo back, and lead the party toward the small mountain pass. Fran took up the rear with her chocobo, surrounding the others in between, forcing them to push onward. The mountain summit was breezy and peaceful, untouched by any human settlement. The group pushed onward until they rose higher and higher on the mountain.

Halfway up, and about an hour later, the mountain gradually sloped downward into a snowy valley, and with what appeared to be jagged plateaus rising up and down periodically. The mountain range stretched farther than their eyes could see, and even Fran's keen eyesight saw no end to the mountains.

"Okay everybody," Ramza started, "In the hours to come, it will get much colder, much snowier, and much more dangerous. The monsters and fiends will all start to appear more rapidly, so it is of the utmost importance that we keep an eye out for them so that they don't surprise us and destroy all our traveling equipment, or worse, kill us. The mountain town is much farther ahead, closer to the side of Western Ivalice, so our breaks will be sparse. Is everybody ready?"

Everybody verbally agreed, and the pack kept on moving. The chocobos handled the weather and terrain perfectly, rushing forward through the valleys with an unwavering stamina. That is, until they saw the first mountain beast.

The chocobos had started to slow down as they entered a narrowing crevasse in the valley. Some of the chocobos stopped entirely and cocked their heads upward, and then in every direction, sensing something coming. Very quickly, Fran started to do the same. There was something there, present, and watching.

"Everybody, beware, there is something in our midst," Fran spoke loudly to her comrades.

Vaan turned his head and nodded silently, not seeing the massive figure that had just jumped down from the forty foot crevasse top, now sailing down toward the ground. It landed with an enormous crash, cracking the earth and rock beneath it. The entire crevasse shook violently, and the chocobos suddenly cried in a massive uproar as the party sized up the beast that had just landed before them.

"My word," Balthier spoke in shock and awe as he started at the monster. "It's a sixty-foot Behemoth."

The Behemoth roared, bearing a set of gigantic teeth and fangs. The fangs alone must have been almost the size of Vaan. Two gigantic horns protruded from its head, extending at least ten feet out in front of the fiend. Its massive tail swung freely behind it; tall spikes extending along its vertebrae all the way to the end of the tail. Its eyes were a cloudy white; its body muscled and titanic and size. Its legs were bigger than most tree trunks; its face contorted in hunger and excitement.

"Everybody get ready!" Ramza yelled. "Weapons and magic alike!"

All the warriors dismounted from their chocobos. The large birds ran to a corner of the crevasse in a frenzied fright. Fran kept her two katanas scabbed at her side, while readying her bow and arrows. Balthier decided to wield dual pistols and dismiss the potential of the dagger. Vaan swiped the hair hanging loosely over his face and gripped his massive long sword, readied in battle stance, Ramza did the same.

The Behemoth leapt forward and came down on hard, shaking the ground beneath the party. Balthier started firing off rounds of his pistol directly at the beasts head. He pulled the triggers as fast as he could, letting off a stream of at least twelve bullets zip through the air into the face of the beast. They all hit directly, and the Behemoth reared up on its two hind legs in pain and fury. Because of the provoked attack, it charged straight at Balthier, and in a second, Fran was firing off rounds of arrows.

Fran held her bow steadily, her feet planted in the ground, slinging and firing arrow after arrow in fluid motions; arrows flying almost as fast and frequently as Balthier's bullets.

The Behemoth turned its massive head toward Fran, teeth bared, drool dripping from its lips. It charged Fran next, forgetting about its original target. As it ran by Vaan and Ramza, the two of them leapt up and drove their blades deep into the sides of the Behemoth. Ramza got the beast somewhere in its rib cage, and Vaan punctured deep into its abdomen, somewhere near the belly. The Behemoth roared in rage, unable to account for so many warriors with different lengths to attack from. And while it stood there, roaring in frustration, ready to snap at Ramza and Vaan, Fran had thrown her bow over her shoulder, drew her dual katanas, and was charging at the beast with superhuman speed.

Before the beast could turn its head, Fran had already jumped and been airborne, her katanas poised to stab the beast directly in the face. And as the Behemoth turned its head, Fran landed nimbly on its snout and stabbed a katana in each eye of the monster. The Behemoth snapped its head up in pain, throwing Fran up in the air. Fran was ready though, and soared through the air until she landed on the monsters back where she quickly stabbed both katanas down into the back of the monster.

This gave Vaan and Ramza a chance to dive under the belly of the monster and stab upward with all the force they could muster. And as the Behemoth retaliated by snapping its jaws and jumping up in down in its blindness and rage, Balthier gathered up magic energy and flung a Firaga spell at the monster. The beast went up in flames, and reared up on its hind legs in a panic. It came down to the ground again hard, shaking the crevasse once more. And that's when the crevasse started to shake slightly on its own.

Balthier cried to his friends, "Let's go before an avalanche comes or the crevasse crashes in on us!"

Fran leapt off the monsters back and raced toward the chocobos, her friends doing the same. They leapt in the backs of their chocobos and started to ride on through the shaking crevasse, leaving the Behemoth to suffer, roar, and crash against the walls in untamed anger. The chocobos pressed on as fast as they could, driven not only by their riders but by their instinctive fear, and in moments, the crevasse started to crash behind them.

The Behemoth was buried beneath rock and snow instantly, quenching its roars of agony, and the group dashed out of the crevasse, barely escaping the collapsing rock behind them.

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"That was a hell of a monster," Balthier said, his voice relieved and calmed. Nearly an hour had passed since the excitement. "I still can't get over it."

"Don't worry, there are still more like that. I have seen ones even bigger and more ferocious," Ramza added.

"I'm still amazed with your abilities, Fran," Vaan said in admiration. "I've never seen you so deadly or efficient in combat, even four years ago."

"One does not exercise all their energy or resources on small battles, child," Fran replied in her monotone voice.

The mountains still surrounded the group, and most of the day had passed by quickly. It was now approaching evening, and the sun had just begun to set behind the peaks of the mountains in the distance.

"We should also continue forward as much as we can, until the darkness settles," Ramza added. "There's no way we should continue through the mountains in the darkness. We would stand no chance against the monsters to come."

And as the words left his mouth, a buzz could be heard nearby. It was more than a buzz though, it was a collection of noises, like wings flapping. Because that's what it was.

"Hold!" Ramza called, holding his hand above his head. "There is something coming. No, it's not just something, there's definitely more than one."

Vaan looked over to his right where the sound appeared to be coming from, and from over the side of the mountain came a cloud of beasts. Tens of beasts, possibly even hundreds.

"Holy belts of chastity," Balthier spoke out loud. Fran glanced over at him with a, "why am I not surprised" look, but quickly looked back at the beasts flying toward them.

"It's a herd of Ahirmans!" Vaan yelled. "There's gotta be at least a hundred of them!"

The flood of Ahirmans closed in on the group, their wings flapping rapidly, all zooming in to bite or kick the chocobos and their riders.

"Quickly! Hammer the spikes of the ropes attached to the chocobos into the ground!" Ramza shouted.

All four warriors dismounted, grabbed the stakes that were connected with the rope attached the chocobos, and they jammed it into the frozen soil, stomping on it to shove it deep in the ground. And then the cyclop-like Ahirman beasts were upon them in moments. Fran, Vaan, and Ramza readied their swords and Balthier had his pistols reloaded and aimed. All was still for a moment, and then there was a crash of frenzy.

Balthier fired his pistols carefully, getting off one bullet for each Ahirman. Their one eye was a massive target, and the easiest to hit. It was also basically the only part of their body, so Balthier aimed steadily and fired away. Each bullet ripped through the lens and the iris of each eye and sank deep into the organs of the Ahirmans, not only blinding them, but killing many. The Ahirmans then dropped from the sky and thudded on the rocky ground. He had shot down over ten of the beasts when suddenly he realized he needed to reload, and was openly exposed to attack.

As always, Fran was one step ahead, and had leapt in front of her partner while Vaan and Ramza swung their swords at the attacks from above. Fran whirled and twirled, swinging the katanas in perfect sync, slicing off the wings of Ahirmans as they flew closer, occasionally stabbing the blade deep into their eye and through their round bodies. She moved fluidly and effortlessly, as if she had eyes in the back of her head and no fatigue at all. Her katanas moved as if they had minds and lives of their own, hitting each target perfectly, slicing each piece of flesh completely. And before a minute had passed, Balthier had reloaded his pistols and was firing away at the oncoming fiends.

In the meantime, Vaan and Ramza were doing well on their own. Vaan was very aware of where Ahirmans were coming from at all times. He didn't move as fast or confidently as Fran did, but his strike was deadly. Whenever an Ahirman neared his range, Vaan used his sword in any way possible to strike the most lethal and efficient blow. Ramza fought the same, swinging his sword upward at the bellies of the beasts, while at the same time running around in circles, making the moving target hard to attack.

Everybody's adrenaline pumped as blood trickled down from the sky of the bleeding Ahirmans in flight. They had kept very close to the chocobos so that the Ahirmans did not have a chance to attack their supplies. And in no time at all, they found that their strategy had worked, and over a hundred dead Ahirman bodies littered the ground. Vaan wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm, feeling the thick scab that ran across his right eyebrow. Balthier panted and leaned forward, putting his hands on his thighs.

"Hell of a thrill," he joked between his breaths.

"Perfectly timed too," Ramza replied. "It's starting to get dark."

And indeed it had. The sun was now more than halfway below the distant horizon, and the sky around them had started to darken. The rays of orange sunset stretched out across the mountains, painted upon the clouds above. The warriors mounted their chocobos again, and rode on until they could find a safe cavern or pocket of the mountain, where they could set up a small camp and rest until morning.

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Ashe finished putting on her nightgown and set down on the edge of her bed. She breathed out a sigh of relief, and pushed herself to the center of the bed where she could lie comfortably. It had been a busy day. She had sent letters to all the people in power of all the surrounding nations. She had spent the day making speeches to the people of Rabanastre that everything was going to be okay, and preparing speeches to recite to the people of other countries as well. Tomorrow she would spend the day traveling, calming people down, and trying to unite people and prevent attacks against each other. She knew what she had to do though, and it would need to be done. She just hoped her friends were okay, and that they could complete the task they had taken as well. She quickly said a prayer for the souls of Al-Cid, Basch, and Larsa, and then hoped deep in her heart that her friends really were okay. She thought of Vaan, and hoped he had the strength to defeat any foes that came to them, and that he would have the will to save Penelo. She also wished that Fran would help them all, and that Ramza could lead them both to and back. She also wished that Penelo would be kept safe and that she could be rescued. The poor girl had already gone through so much, Ashe didn't want to see her friend in pain any longer. The thought of Balthier also entered her mind, and she hoped that he would return safely. She thought of the dashing sky pirate, and the danger that he was willing to put himself into. She smiled at her memories of him, closed her eyes, and fell sound asleep.

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Under the same starry sky, Balthier was lying down on his back, his hands clasped together behind his head, his eyes looking up in the darkness of the tent. Vaan was also in the same tent, lying on his side. Ramza had his own tent where he kept the other supplies, and Fran was outside keeping watch over the tents and the sleeping chocobos. Fran claimed that she wasn't tired at all, and that she could sense things easier in the dark, so she offered to stay awake all night to keep watch. Balthier thought it unnecessary, and offered that everybody take turns, but Fran insisted, and eventually, as always, had her way.

"Hey Vaan," Balthier whispered. His eyes glancing over at the young man lying down a few feet away from him. "You still awake?"

"Well, I'm definitely not asleep," Vaan replied in a whisper. "I can't stop worrying about Penelo. It's been wearing on my mind all day. I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to her."

"Well, it bothers me too. But, Vaan, you can't lose sleep over it. You'll do no good to yourself by worrying yourself so much. We've both already realized that our lives are meant to protect people. That's our purpose for living right now. And we're going to do just that, don't you worry, kiddo," Balthier replied.

"It doesn't help the fact that I can't fall asleep," Vaan replied, accompanied with a sigh.

"Well, try counting girls jumping over a fence. That helps me sleep sometimes," Balthier replied.

"Are you serious?" Vaan replied skeptically.

"Yeah mate," Balthier answered. "You know, when they jump, stuff jiggles, I picture them giggling and having fun, and I'm always waiting on the other side of the fence."

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"C'mon Vaan, not even a chuckle kid?" Balthier laughed quietly. "Of course I'm kidding. Just close your eyes and do everything you can not to open them. Eventually you'll just knock yourself out. But, I'm gonna shuttup now, so you can fall asleep. Night man."

Vaan closed his eyes and followed Balthier's advice. Balthier did the same, and tried his own advice to stop worrying about Queen Ashe and how she was doing.

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Fran was sitting against a tree, her bow in her lap and her katanas lying on either side of her on the ground. She had sat there all night in a meditative state. She was perfectly aware of what was going on around her, and her senses were completely isolated, but at the same time her mind and body could rest. It was something the viera hunters were taught at a very young age.

She heard small rocks moving over the sound of the breeze. Her eyes snapped open.

It was Vaan. It was almost sunrise.

"Hey Fran," Vaan greeted in a quiet tone.

"I was about to wake you all up once the sun rose. You still have another twenty or thirty minutes to sleep if you'd like," Fran replied.

"Well, I was wondering if you could use that time to show me the basics of how to wield two swords like that. Especially katanas," Vaan asked.

"Of course, child. I was just waiting for you to come to me ready," Fran replied, standing up and grabbing her katanas.

And for the next thirty minutes, Fran showed Vaan the basics of wielding two swords. How to old them, how to strike in sequence, where the blind spots were, and how to use footwork wisely. She had shown him much, but Vaan caught on quickly. And in no time at all, Balthier and Ramza rose on their own with the sun, and came out to where Fran and Vaan were.

"Everything okay?" Ramza asked.

"No problems at all," Fran replied, reaching out and putting her hand on Vaan's shoulder, a type of physical embrace that Fran did not show often.

"Then let's get a move on doggies," Balthier smirked.

And so the four of them packed up all their equipment speedily, mounted the waking chocobos, and were off along the mountain to travel again.

They had traveled for the next four hours uninterrupted, until Fran sensed more beasts lurking nearby.

"Slow down, there are fiends coming," Fran spoke out loud.

And from their right, over a small hill, came four large minotaurs, all holding axes.

"Fran, let me handle these creatures," Vaan spoke, dismounting his chocobo. "You can all just stay put and guard the chocobos."

"Oh no, Vaan," Balthier replied, "I'm helping too."

"No, I want to fight these beasts hand to hand," Vaan said back to Balthier. "I need to practice wielding two blades."

"Then I will practice wielding one," Balthier answered. "It's been nearly four years since I had to handle the sword, but I guess it's time I picked one up again. Fran, would you mind tossing me a sword from the chocobo carrying the weapons?"

Fran shook her head and drew her own katanas. She tossed one to Vaan and the other to Balthier. They each caught the blades easily, and turned to face the oncoming minotaurs. The beasts just lumbered along, waiting to come face to face with their prey.

Balthier looked over at Vaan who was staring intently at the enemy. Balthier looked back at the minotaurs and quickly swung his sword a few times to get the rhythm of a sword back. Vaan had started to charge, and Balthier followed quickly behind him.

The minotaurs stood there, braced for attack. Vaan swung Fran's katana with his left hand, and followed it immediately with his own sword in his right hand. He swung the katana up near the first minotaurs face, and the minotaur held his axe up to parry the blow, but left his stomach exposed for the swing of the sword in Vaan's right hand. Vaan sliced right across the belly of the beast, and it cut deep into its abdomen. Almost immediately the minotaur let out a cry of pain as its intestines started to fall out. It dropped its axe to clutch its stomach, and Vaan swung both swords inward, decapitating the beast.

Balthier wasn't doing too bad with the minotaur he was facing either, but there was a second minotaur ready to strike Balthier as well. Balthier spun and swung the sword, clattering loudly against the parry of the minotaur's axe. Balthier swung his sword again, only to be parried. Balthier continued this, and the sparks from the collision of metal flew, but the other two minotaurs were now basically on top of Balthier. One minotaur swung his axe downward, and Balthier nimbly jumped out of the way, while bringing his sword up to his face to block the swing of the other minotaur's axe.

This went on for no more than five seconds, because almost instantaneously, Vaan had leapt up in the air and swung both his swords sideways. The swing of one sword cut the head of one minotaur clean off, while the other wedged itself into the throat of the other. Balthier had seen this move, and thrust his own sword into the chest of the wounded minotaur. His back was turned to the last one though, and as the last minotaur swung his axe downward, Vaan ran forward, swinging his sword down, and sliced the hands of the minotaur off. The axe and dismembered hands fell to the ground and Balthier turned and shoved his blade through the neck of the last minotaur.

Vaan and Balthier stood over the carnage and looked back at Fran and Ramza who stared in silence. They walked back to their chocobos, wiping the blood of their blades with kerchiefs that hung from their sides.

"Thanks Fran," Balthier said, handing his sword back.

"It's not as hard as it looks," Vaan said happily, handing his katana back to Fran.

"Oh no, child. It's hard. You just have the talent to do it," Fran replied, showing what Vaan swore was a slight smirk.

The party carried on for nearly another hour through the mountain valleys, until they could see smoke rising over a hill not too far off.

"There's the town I spoke of," Ramza said. "They live here year round. Nearly all the men are skilled warriors, they live very simply. This is where my sister is."   
"And your sister has the Serpentarius stone?" Fran questioned.

"That's right. But that's not why we're here. I just want to tell her what's been happening and what our plans are. We'll stop here briefly and then continue on. With the time we're making, and the luck we're having with only a few random encounters, we should be at West Ivalice in no more than two weeks."

"Two weeks!" Vaan exclaimed. "I didn't know it was going to take this long!"

"I think with our skill, we can make it there in less than a week. I hope," Ramza replied.

"Why would our skill determine our rate of travel?" Balthier asked.

"You'll see once we get to the caves and tunnels. There'll be no need for my answer," Ramza said.

Balthier nodded, not entirely satisfied by the answer, but rode on with his three companions anyway into the town that sat in front of them.

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Okay, that's Chapter 8. I'm going to have a little more on their travels, but also on Ashe as well. There are still some ENORMOUS plot twists and action events to come. You definitely don't wanna miss them.


	9. I realized my purpose long ago

"Alma!" Ramza cried, strolling into the village on his chocobo, with Fran, Balthier, and Vaan riding behind him.

Alma had been walking through the town square carrying two buckets of water. She looked over immediately. When she saw her brother her eyes lit up and a smile erupted on her face as she dropped the buckets and ran over to him. Ramza hopped down from his chocobo to catch his sister's embrace.

"Where have you been! Are you okay!" Alma exclaimed.

"I'm fine, don't you worry. I've just come to check up on you and to tell you my plans," Ramza replied happily, still holding his sister close.

Vaan smiled at the two of them, reminded of the feeling when he saw Penelo after not seeing her for an extended period of time.

"This here is Balthier, Fran, and Vaan," Ramza introduced, turning to his comrades. "We don't have much time to stay, but they're from East Ivalice. Apparently, Delita has traveled there and was stirring up trouble for reasons that are beyond me. Two local leaders found out about the zodiac stones Delita was carrying and their history. So, they've apparently found a suitable host body for Altima, and are on their way to resurrect her, foolishly thinking they can control her and make her their weapon. We're on our way now to stop them, and to rescue the host they've chosen, seeing as its a good friend of my comrades'."

"They're trying to resurrect her again!? Can they succeed? I mean, there needs to be enough bloodshed, they need the perfect host body, and they need to be in Murond Death City," Alma asked. Vaan was surprised she knew so much about it, he wondered what she had already been through.

"Well, if they're going to West Ivalice I assume they know about Murond Death City. I assume they also know how to resurrect her, because Delita left a message that it was urgent we stop them. I would guess that they know how to do it. And I think there's probably been enough bloodshed over the past six years since we've defeated her last," Ramza replied. "So I just wanted to stop by and let you know, and I'll be back again in a few weeks."

"Oh no you're not!" Alma shook her head furiously. "You're not leaving me here again, I'm coming with you!"

"Sorry, Alma, but you're not," Ramza denied.

"No, Ramza! I've been waiting here for two weeks worried sick about you. We left West Ivalice together, and we need to stay together. And don't tell me it's too dangerous, because I've already been through this. I mean, I was the last host body for St. Ajora, I know what this is all like."

Her last sentence surprised Vaan and Balthier. _She was the last host body? Like, Penelo is now?_ Vaan thought to himself.

"I refuse to let you leave without me," Alma stated.

Ramza stood in silence for a moment, crossing his arms in thought when he finally sputtered, "Fine. Go tell the inn."

Alma smiled, rushed away for about ten minutes while the party waited for her return. She came back quickly, and the group prepared a chocobo for her to be saddled up on.

"You ready?" Ramza asked the group. "We've got a tough obstacle up ahead."

"Which obstacle is this now?" Balthier questioned. "I'm sorry, but I just can't stand being kept in the dark. If I'm going to be the leading man of this expedition I need to know what kind of obstacles I will be pitted against."

Ramza ignored his sarcasm and replied, "We're going to have to fight nonstop. Continuously, for over two days, at least. Beyond this town, there is a green, grassy, river valley where only a few minor beasts roam, but beyond that is the real trouble. The mountains up ahead are much too jagged and tall for chocobos or humans to climb, so there is a series of caverns that run through the mountains. These caverns are haunted with zombies. I don't mean a few zombies that rise up out of the ground now and again. I mean hordes. Whole armies of zombies, nearly the entire way through. The caverns themselves are only about a days pace on chocobo, but with the zombies, it's impossible to just run right through."

"Then, we can just charge right through, can't we? Just barge in and knock everything down in our path. Definitely a favorite style of mine," Balthier suggested.

"Oh no. We have to go on foot. Chocobos won't fit through some parts of the cavern, and to fight off the zombies on chocobos would be harder than if on foot. We must leave the chocobos outside of the cavern. And since Alma has volunteered to come with us, she can carry our tent. We'll have to carry the rest of the weapons by ourselves, and we maybe without food for a day or two."

"You tell us about this NOW?" Balthier said emphatically.

"Would it have changed your decision to save Penelo?" Ramza asked, looking at Balthier and Vaan.

"Of course not," they both replied.

"That's why I didn't think it was important to tell you," Ramza smiled, turning on his chocobo, and starting to ride out with Alma and Fran following behind.

Balthier smiled at Vaan and said, "Well kid, looks like we're both going to get a lot of practice."

Vaan and Balthier dug their heels into the chocobo to ride forward and catch up with the others.

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"Citizens of Archadia!" Ashe cried out. "I have come before you to lay my sorrows and my grief at your feet for the loss of your leader, in the hopes that you can do the same before me! The events that have turned in the past few days are devastating and saddening, but we must not collapse!"

Ashe stood on a stage in Archades facing thousands of people surrounding her. The nobles had set up a stage for her in the center of town, and the townspeople now swarmed around the stage in complete silence, listening to the Queen.

"When someone is cut by the slash of a sword!" Ashe continued. "The cut will bleed, then scab, and then become a scar! This scar is not an ugly thing! This scar is beautiful! This scar shows that the person has survived a deep wound! Right now, not only Archades, but all of Eastern Ivalice has been cut deeply! We've had a short amount of time to grieve and do our own bleeding and scabbing. But now we must heal, and become strong! We must show that we can survive that cut! And just as scar tissue is stronger than the original skin, we, the people of East Ivalice, must become stronger because of the past events! We are no strangers to war! We are no strangers to danger! We are no strangers to despair!"

Ashe stood there passionately, using hand movements, with emphasis in her voice for some words, utilizing powerful visual rhetoric to sway the crowd before her.

"Good King Larsa Solidor is dead! A young man who had a dream of peace! But even with his death, his dream lives on! Dreams, passions, and ideas do not die when the physical body dies! Rather, they are either carried on or discarded by those still living! We must not let his dream die! If we are to honor the young King, we must follow his ideas! I know Dalmasca has the same dreams of peace!"

The crowd had started to clap lightly at her words.

"I can assure you that Nabradia will be given a King who embraces these ideas of peace!" Ashe cried out.

The clapping began to spread, still light, but when done by thousands of people, it got louder and louder, like a storm off in the distance.

"And with the cooperation and willingness of Rozarria, all nations can unite and enjoy this dream of peace! We must all unite and forget our past ties! I am lucky to be alive, and to be chosen to carry out this dream of the late Al-Cid, Larsa Solidor, and even Rasler Nabradia!"

The clapping started to get louder, but Ashe wasn't done making her speech or presenting her point. She started to walk around the perimeter of the stage, waving her hands emphatically, rousing the attention and the passion of the crowd.

"Our nations can all heal together! We can all close the wounds that have been dealt, and we can all show our scars, and say that we've survived! We can rise up together and show that each and every one of us will not fall when dealt a blow! If you will give me this great honor, I will unite all of our nations and let us band together!"

The crowd was now getting noisier and noisier, to the point that Ashe was afraid her words would soon be drowned out, and they would not hear her final statement. So she motioned with her hands for them to quiet down, and with her command, the clapping and excitement subsided considerably.

"If you give me this great honor! I will unite our countries! You can help me bring peace and prosperity to our nations! You can help our economies flourish! You can help me maintain peace and order! You can help me honor the memories of our great leaders!"

The crowd started to build up its excitement and clapping again.

"Citizens of Archadia! WILL YOU GIVE ME THIS GREAT HONOR!?" Ashe cried out, raising her clenched fist into the air, staring out, letting her eyes glaze over the thousands before her.

And like rolling thunder, clapping, cheers, and shouts of agreement erupted and boomed throughout the town square. The noise and calamity of their response shook the podium Ashe stood on, and their cries bounced off the tall buildings of Archades, echoing throughout the city. Ashe stood there, overwhelmed by the noise, the adrenaline, and the excitement. She felt a tingle and a chill fly up her spine, setting the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck up on end. She kept her clenched fist in the air and lowered her head, closing her eyes and soaking in the acceptance of the people.

_Now I just need to do the same in Nabradia and Rozarria_, Ashe thought to herself.

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"Keep going! C'mon now don't give up!" Balthier shouted at the top of his lungs.

The party had crossed the river valley. It was one of the most beautiful sights they had ever seen. The hills had rolled on for miles beyond what the eye could see on either side of them, and the beasts that were there were gigantic and beautiful. They were also surprisingly peaceful. There was an Adamantoise that stood over eighty feet tall. It did not acknowledge them as they passed, but it was one of the most beautiful things Balthier had ever seen. There was also a herd of Antlions that had roamed the hills, leaving the party be. They were enormous and beautiful, and their roars and cries of communication were fascinating. But now, they were at the caverns, and Ramza was absolutely right.

Before them lay an enormous cavern that stretched into a blackness that Balthier could not see past. And in front of them, was a sea of zombies, walking skeletons, and undead. Ramza had explained how someone had lain a curse on the cavern thousands of years before, and that nobody could explain why so many creatures kept rising in there. And no matter how many times you killed them, more came. The only way to press through was to continue to fight and continue to keep moving. He had said that he and Alma had been able to circumnavigate the cavern on their trip over by a dangerous trip through the mountain crags. He said that climbing those mountains was more hazardous than the fight through the caverns.

And so now, Balthier, Vaan, Fran, and Ramza fought mercilessly through the sea of undead and zombies. Alma was in the middle holding a lantern and as much equipment as she could, and the four warriors surrounded her on all sides, fighting off the enemies as they pressed on. It was a workout for them, and no doubt a test of their stamina, skill, and durability. If any undead were to lay a cut or wound on them, there's no way they could bandage or heal the wound without stopping their fighting. And if anybody stopped, the others would be overwhelmed by the breach in the circle.

And so Balthier had to rely on his rusty swordsmanship skills. He did his best though. The easiest way he found to kill these creatures were to slice their heads off. Sometimes, even when their heads were off, the bodies continued to come forward, but they were blind without their eyes and practically useless. So Balthier just continued to swing his sword back and forth at the necks of the undead, while walking in the direction that Ramza was leading them.

Vaan had done the same. He had taken another long sword from their weaponry before they deserted their chocobos, and fought with dual swords. He could easily kill many of the zombies, and he had fought off swarms like this before in the Barheim passage, but he never had to do so for the extended period of time that this required.

Ramza and Fran were holding up well also. Ramza was a skilled and experienced warrior, and Fran had no limitations when it came to her combat skills. But Balthier was starting to tire out. They had been fighting for what seemed to be forever. In actuality, it had probably been almost two hours, and his muscles ached and burned.

"Vaan!" Balthier cried out while swinging his sword madly. "I can't go on for much longer! What are we going to do!"

"Balthier! Are you wounded!?" Vaan yelled back.

"Only a few minor cuts!" Balthier hollered back. "But my muscles are almost completely exhausted."

_My right arm is doing okay, but my left arm isn't as strong as my right since I haven't been using dual weapons for very long. My left arm will definitely tire out soon as well_, Vaan thought to himself.

"Alma!" Vaan yelled, slicing the head off another undead. _1,049_, he thought to himself. He had been counting how many undead he himself had slain. It was a way for him to take his mind off his muscles, and it wasn't very hard to kill them. Just a slice through the neck, but it was strenuous.

"What is it, Vaan!" Alma shouted back, gripping the tents tightly in her arms with a few blankets slung over her shoulders.

"Do you know any powerful white magic!" Vaan yelled in reply. He had a great idea in his head.

"I know many levels of powerful white magic! That's what my specialty is!" Alma shouted back.

"How about you Ramza!" Vaan yelled.

"I know just as much as anyone else ought to!" Ramza cried in reply.

"Okay then!" Vaan hollered. "Everybody, when I count to three, summon a Curaga spell as powerful as you can manage! One! Two! Three!"

And at that moment, all five of them blasted a Curaga spell that reached out as far as a fifty foot radius. The blast of cure magic decimated every surrounding undead creature within that fifty foot radius, and they all felt their muscles being rejuvenated.

"My god Vaan! Why didn't we think of this sooner!" Balthier shouted, elated that his strength had come back to him.

"We were so caught up in fighting, I doubt any of us were thinking much of anything," Fran replied, looking at the undead that were slowly closing in on them again.

"Alma, periodically, when I give the word, can you cast a Curaga spell?" Vaan asked.

Alma nodded her head vigorously, "It's about time I could do something."

The undead were now upon the group again. Vaan slashed out at another, _1,050_.

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And so the group did this for as long as they could. Alma used her Curaga spells periodically, not letting her magic abilities deplete to nothing. And the hours passed by, fourteen hours to be exact. But nobody had any sense of time since they could see nothing but the blackness. Alma had a lamp burning brightly in her hand, so they could see a little bit, but they were surrounded by blackness. And they couldn't stop for breaks, so nobody had any idea exactly how much time had passed.

But this strategy worked for hours on end. And eventually, four days had passed by the time they saw the light at the end of the caverns. The Curaga spell could rejuvenate their muscles, and relieve them of some of their exhaustion, but they were all extremely sleep deprived. Vaan had lost count of his killings a few days earlier. The highest he could remember was 8,888, but after that he just didn't know.

But finally, they made their way out of the tunnel, and found that the undead were unable to leave their cavern; imprisoned there from the curse.

"I don't think I've ever had to do anything that strenuous in my life," Balthier said outloud, collapsing on the grass, looking out at the deserts before them.

Fran was perfectly alert. She had gone into her meditative state while fighting so that when they exited the cavern she could be perfectly well rested for whatever may be waiting.

Ramza, Vaan, and Alma all fell to the ground as well, completely exhausted. And there it was. As if waiting for them at their most weakest. It was a King Malboro.

"I think we're dead now," Balthier said, out of breath.

"Have no fear everyone," Fran spoke as she unsheathed her katanas.

"Fran are you serious?" Vaan asked.

"Someday I will teach you my meditative techniques, child," Fran replied. "And if not, I hope that Mjrn will realize your skill, and teach you herself."

And with that, Fran rushed forward, her face intense with excitement. She leapt up in the air and started to slash wildly at the beast, cutting off nearly all of its tentacles in under a minute. The beast let out its poisonous breath, and in a move never seen before by any of her tired comrades, Fran started to moving her wrists in a circular motion faster than their eyes could follow. This made her katanas spin around, acting like a fan, blowing the poisonous breath back into the face of the Malboro King. Once the Malboro was caught off guard by this move, and temporarily stunned, Fran rushed forward and landed a series of killing blows. The monster fell backward, and lied there, dead.

Fran turned and walked back to her friends.

"Let's set up our tent and sleep," She said. "Three days have passed since we were in the cavern."

"How do you know that Fran?" Vaan asked.

"Viera intuition. We know time and nature, child," Fran replied.

Everybody nodded, set up the tents, and slept for the next day. Fran once again kept watch in her meditative state, and let them sleep for then next twenty hours.

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The group woke up in the early afternoon a day later. They were still tired, and needed sleep, but they had to move on, time was being wasted. They now had no more Chocobos, and they needed to rough the desert by foot. Ramza reassured them that the desert wasn't long, and they should even reach the Orbonne Monastery by the next morning.

And so they walked at a fast pace all day, and when night fell, they were already within the borders of West Ivalice. So they set up their tent once more, and slept till morning.

When morning came, they all awoke at once ready to move on. They stopped at a local tavern to hydrate themselves more and to properly equip themselves. To their surprise, almost everybody in there was a miner.

"What's been going on?" Ramza asked the bartender. "Any rumors flying around?"

"Well, it appears that our trade tunnel to the East has finally been completed," The bartender replied.

"Trade tunnel?" Ramza inquired.

"Oh yeah. All the men, and even many women helped dig out this massive tunnel that stretches underground across the space between East and West Ivalice. They evidentially found a path that was almost all dirt, and so over the past six years, ever since Delita took power, we've been digging this tunnel. Now we're able to trade with the East and have communication. There's also rumor that we can finally learn some new technology that had been lost since the past."

"Delita is King of West Ivalice?!" Vaan exclaimed. "The guy that's been giving advice to Conpichio. He's the King?"

Ramza nodded.

"That's interesting," Balthier thought outloud. "Why didn't we ever know about this trade tunnel?"

Vaan stood there deep in thought, trying to analyze everything that had happened so far.

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"We've made incredible time," Ammon said to Conpichio, who was in his Lucavi form with an unconscious Penelo slung over his shoulder, looking at the doors of the Orbonne Monastery. "Thank goodness we were able to survive those caverns."

"Absolutely. It's too bad most of our Temple Knights died. But I'm so relieved we had the zodiac stones. Once we transformed, there was no stopping us. We cut down those undead before they could even move close to us. It is a shame about the Knights though. We left with fifteen of them, and only five remain. The others should have stuck closer to us and braved the time it took. With our transformation, we made it through there in what, three days?"

"Just about. Add another day for the desert, and then another day to finally find this Monastery, and we made excellent time," Ammon replied.

"How you all got this far is beyond me," A voice said as the monastery doors opened.

"Delita!" Ammon cried. "How did you get here! And how did you get here so fast!"

"I have my own trails through the mountains and deserts. Don't you worry," Delita replied, standing there in his normal attire, a sword scabbed at his side, and a bow and set of arrows slung over his shoulder.

"Well, we're ready to revive Altima and use her to defeat Archadia, Dalmasca, and Nabradia," Conpichio said. "Aren't you proud that we can do things on our own?"

"Absolutely. I'm glad you will be able to attack the other countries," Delita replied calmly. "But now I need to take my leave, and continue with my own plans."

Ammon and Conpichio nodded, and let Delita walk out of the monastery. He only took a few steps though, because Vaan, Balthier, Ramza, Alma, and Fran stood at the foot of the path, looking directly at him.

Conpichio, Ammon, and the Temple Knights turned to face the group.

"How did you follow us here!" Ammon cried in outrage. "How did you know we were coming! And how did you keep up with us!"

"Ask Delita how we know about your plan," Balthier said.

"Penelo!" Vaan cried, seeing his love unconscious, hanging over the shoulder of the demonized Conpichio.

Ammon and Conpichio stared at Delita. Delita took the bow resting over his shoulder off and held it in his hands. He drew an arrow and slung it through the bow quickly.

"You want to explain that statement?" Ammon growled at Delita.

Delita aimed the arrow quickly at Balthier saying, "Have fun everyone."

Delita let the arrow fly before anyone could move or say anything else. Ammon and Conpichio stood there in confusion, while Vaan, Ramza, and Alma readied themselves to charge Delita. Balthier could only stand there while thinking about what he should do. His thought was not quick enough for Delita's action though, and the arrow flew straight at Balthier's chest.

But, as always, Fran was one step ahead. Except this time, she was on the defensive, and not the offensive. She leapt in front of Balthier, and the arrow struck deep into her chest.

"Fran!" Balthier cried in shock.

"No! Fran!" Vaan yelled almost simultaneously in surprise.

Delita turned to Ammon and Conpichio and said, "Finish what you started. I have given you the tools to succeed. I have no failed you yet."

And with that, Delita ran off to the side of the building where a Chocobo was waiting. Delita hopped on and rode off before Vaan and the others could do anything.

"Quick, Conpichio, let's get inside. Delita has given us this opportunity to succeed," Ammon said. He turned to a Temple Knight, "You know exactly what to do, right?"

The Temple Knight nodded.

"Then let's go," Conpichio nodded.

Ammon, Conpichio, and the five Temple Knights walked in the monastery and closed the door behind them.

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"Fran..." Balthier said quietly, kneeling down next to the viera, holding her in his arms. "Why would you do that?"

Fran was still alive, but she did not have long until the blood flowed into her lungs and her heart stopped beating.

"B-Balthier, you must understand," The dying viera sputtered. "I heard you talking to Vaan in the tent, and to Basch back when we visited Larsa. I know t-that you've come t-to find the purpose you've b-been looking for in life."

Vaan was kneeling next to Fran, on the other side of Balthier.

"C'mon Fran. You still have so much life to live, and so much to teach us all," Vaan pleaded.

"C-Child," Fran stuttered, blood starting to drip down from the corner of her mouth. "I've lived much l-longer than any of you. And I had c-come to the same conclusion that both of y-you did many years ago. I realized m-my purpose in life was to protect something. I was abandoned by my own p-people, with nowhere to go. B-Balthier, why do you think I've f-followed you all these years? I've l-lived to protect you, even if it means g-giving my life."

Balthier considered this, saddened by Fran's impending death, but understanding what she was saying. For he was willing to sacrifice his own life to protect others, as promised by his pact with Vaan.

"I am honored to die p-protecting you," Fran continued, trying her hardest to finish her message. "It was what my life was f-for. T-To p-p-protect your dreams and l-life."

Balthier's eyes started to water as he replied sadly, "Thank you for everything, Fran. You've been my best friend and companion for as long as I can remember, and I would have died to protect you too."

"I... I... I.. k-know," Fran said with great difficulty.

And with those last words, Fran did something that Vaan had never seen her do, and Balthier couldn't remember the last time he had seen her do it. She looked up at Balthier, then Vaan, and flashed a smile. A real smile. Her lips were dribbling blood, and a stream of it flowed down her chin, but she was beautiful. Her eyes squinted daintily because of the smile, and a true happiness was seen in her eyes. And suddenly, there was a violent gurgle in the back of her throat, and her body started to writhe and contort in Balthier's shaking arms. And then her last breath left her smiling face, and the life flowed out of her limp body.

Balthier let out a pained noise from the back of this throat and started to sob. He held Fran's body close to his and brought his face down under her neck and right above her bosom where the arrow had struck. He cried into her dead body, making the saddest crying noises Vaan had ever heard. And Vaan had suddenly felt a sadness swell up deep inside his chest, and tears silently streamed down his cheeks.

And in Balthier's sadness, there was a lust for bloodshed. Delita and his henchmen were going to pay for this. They were going to pay for Basch's death, Larsa's death, Al-Cid's death, Fran's death, kidnapping Penelo, and for destroying almost everything Balthier had come to love.

In his crying, his body was tense and his teeth clenched in rage. And in a fit of pained emotions he raised his head up to the sky and let out a roar fused with anguish, agony, heartache, and woe.

Ramza and Alma looked on in a sad silence, letting the two companions mourn the death of Fran.

"Come, Vaan," Balthier said, collecting himself and his emotions. "Let's hurry inside and save Penelo before any other disasters happen."

"Balthier, we're going to do this. Don't you worry," Vaan replied intently.

Vaan reached down to Fran's lifeless body and picked up the scabbard holding her katana. Balthier reached down and did the same. They each connected the scabbed katana to their side and looked at each other in a silent rage. Balthier also took the viera's bow and arrows and slung them over his shoulder. He was ready to avenge everything. He had his own pistols, his dagger, Fran's katana, and her bow and arrows. He was going to end it all.

"Let's go inside," Ramza said quietly.

Vaan and Balthier nodded, and they walked to the Monastery doors with Alma and Ramza.

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Ashe had already gone to Nabradia and Rozarria, reciting the same speech she had in Archadia, except changing around some of the names and orders of the places. She was rallying the will of the people, and to her surprise, the trust of the Rozarrians also. They were apparently saddened by the thought of Al-Cid's murder, and now realized that Archadia and Dalmasca were innocent, especially since Larsa was killed. They were also angry that Ammon had deserted them, and that their best witness to Ashe's "warlike ideas", Conpichio, was also gone.

Ashe was doing everything she could to continue to make the nations safe and continue their prosperity. She just hoped that her friends were doing okay in their travel to West Ivalice. Deep down, she was worried though, and she felt that she had every right to be. She was uneasy and nervous, but put her trust in her friends to make everything okay. She knew that they would protect and fight for each other, but it was to the extent that they would protect each other that worried Ashe.

But she buried these thoughts for now, and focused on the grueling tasks to come.

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Oh noooo, another character death! I know... But just as Basch's death was honored by everybody's inspiration to protect each other, and just as Larsa and Al-Cid's death will be honored by trying to maintain peace (emphasis trying) in East Ivalice, I will let Fran's death be honored in the following chapters.

I hope you're all enjoying the story, and I still have some plot twists and tricks up my sleeve to come. So don't think that my story is over yet!


	10. Sacrifices

Ramza and Alma showed Vaan and Balthier the passage in the cellars of the Orbonne Monastery that led to the Murond Death City. It was a race between his group, and Ammon's group. Ramza and Alma had the upper hand though since they actually knew where they were going. Ammon's Temple Knight had only heard of the methods to get there, so Ramza hoped that they could beat Ammon down there and stop him before anything happened.

They found the passage to Murond Death City though, and it appeared as if Ammon already beat them there. They continued deeper and deeper through the levels of Murond, until they finally came to the realm where the portal to the Graveyard of Airships was. And finally, they were face to face.

"Ammon! Stop this!" Ramza cried. "You're a fool to try to control Altima!"

"You know nothing about what we're going to do. And I know you just want to stop us, I have no reason to believe you!" Ammon yelled back.

"I know nothing about what you're going to do!? I was the one who defeated Altima last time she was summoned!" Ramza hollered.

"No matter, our decision is final," Conpichio said in his deep demonic voice, still controlled by the Lucavi. He looked at the Temple Knight and said, "Do it."

The Temple Knight nodded, and quickly drew his blade and ran it through the stomach of his fellow Temple Knight. The stabbed Knight was shocked and surprised at this betrayal, but in a moment, everybody in the room felt the place spinning, and in the flash of an eye, they were transported to the graveyard of Airships.

Ammon stood there with the remaining four Temple Knights and Conpichio, who still had Penelo slung over his shoulder.

"And now, a sacrifice must be made," The Temple Knight said. "The last ounce of bloodshed before the resurrection."

"No!" Ramza yelled, starting to run at the group.

But it was too late, Ammon had unsheathed his sword and stabbed it through Conpichio's chest. Penelo slid off Conpichio's shoulder and fell to the ground.

"Ammon," Conpichio gurgled. "What are you doing?"

"Idiot. There's no way I'm letting Nabradia become partners with Rozarria. I'm going to take it all for my home country. You were just my puppet," Ammon said evilly.

Ammon took the sword out and stabbed him several more times as Conpichio slumped to the ground. Then Ammon sliced the head off the dying Lucavi. Blood splattered on Penelo's unconscious body, and the stone of Virgo levitated from Ammon's hand as he pulled it out of his pocket. The four remaining Temple Knights looked on in excitement.

The stone of Virgo flashed and crackled and blasted a shock wave through Ramza that sent him flying backward. The stone infused itself in Penelo, and somehow, she was awakened and stood up.

"I.. am.. resurrected again?" Penelo said, standing up carefully.

"Penelo!" Vaan cried.

"No, Vaan. That is not Penelo. That is St. Ajora," Alma said sadly. "I was in the same position years ago."

"Finally, I have been given another opportunity to rise," The possessed Penelo, speaking for St. Ajora. "I will not fall again."

Penelo fell to her knees, and on the side of the Graveyard of Airships a light beamed down, and Penelo's body lay there motionless. Suddenly, she picked herself up though, dazed by what had just happened.

"Quick Vaan!" Alma cried. "Get Penelo! Now her body has been released by Ajora!"

And as Vaan ran to the weakened Penelo, the four remaining Temple Knights started to transform into large demons. They surrounded St. Ajora as the Graveyard of Airships started to shake violently. Streams of light flew from the sky like comets, and Ajora's host body started to glow purple and spray out purple rays of light. And then all of a sudden a blue shock wave pulsated outward from Ajora's changing body, and the host body had turned into a red-skinned Angel.

Ammon looked on in delight, ecstatic that he had succeeded in his endeavor.

"St. Ajora! You must now come with me to destroy my enemies!" He cried.

Ajora looked at him scornfully, "You think that I was resurrected to serve you!? No, you have been brought here to give me my power back! You are my Lucavi Demon!"

"No!" Ammon cried frightfully, "You are here to help me!"

Ajora let out a cackle as she slowly changed Ammon into his Lucavi demon. He roared in outrage, and suddenly Ramza and Alma were faced with a very familiar scene.

"Vaan! Balthier! I will fight St. Ajora, you must all destroy the summoned Demons!" Ramza yelled.

Vaan nodded and stood in front of Penelo with his sword and katana drawn, ready for combat. Penelo wrapped her arms around him from behind, trembling against his body.

"Do not fear, Penelo. Everything will be okay," Vaan comforted as Ammon's Lucavi and another Demon rushed forward.

The other three demons rushed to Balthier, and Ramza stood face to face with Ajora as Alma stood in the back ready to help cast some support magic.

Vaan ran at Ammon's Lucavi with a violent rage. He swung his swords wildly, ducking and agilely dodging the swipes of the Lucavi's massive claws. His strikes struck at the Demon's legs and arms, slicing the beast all over its body. The Lucavi ran forward and body slammed Vaan backward. Vaan fell on has back, and the two demons eyed the helpless Penelo. Vaan would have nothing happen to Penelo though.

He rocked backward and kicked his legs up and out, kickflipping himself off the ground, allowing himself to still hold onto his swords. He rushed at the Lucavi Demon and drove his two blades deep into the Demon's back. Ammon's Lucavi turned around in pain swiping once more at Vaan. Ammon's claw just missed Vaan's forehead.

"Oh no you monster," Vaan taunted. "You already slashed me across my left eyebrow once, you're not gettin' me again."

Vaan rushed forward, and as the Demon swiped one more time, Vaan swung Fran's katana downward, and caught the Demon's wrist, slicing his arm from the forearm down, off. With his momentum he fell into a slide and slid under the demon between its legs and jumped up to fend off the other demon that was edging toward Penelo. Vaan twirled and swiped his blades horizontally, slicing the beast across the chest twice. The demon howled in pain and reacted quickly spinning and jumping forward, trying to bite at Vaan.

Vaan saw this move though, and brought Fran's katana straight forward in a powerful thrust and ran the katana into the mouth of the possessed Temple Knight, through the back of its throat, and out through the back of its neck. Vaan quickly pulled the sword back out and let the Demon fall to the ground, dead, as he spun and confronted Ammon's wounded Lucavi. Vaan saw his chance to strike when the beast leapt forward. He did the same move as before and sliced off the other hand of the Lucavi violently. And in one final move, Vaan thrust his body forward, extending both swords in a deadly thrust that punctured the chest of the Lucavi. The blades stabbed through the rib cage, through the internal organs, through the vertebrae, and then out through the Lucavi's back.

Ammon's Lucavi slumped to the ground, also dead. The Lucavi transformed back into Ammon's human form, the zodiac stone lying on his chest. Vaan reached down and pocketed the zodiac stone, looking over at how his comrades were doing. He quickly realized that he needed to grab Conpichio's stone as well, so he ran over to Conpichio's fallen body and grabbed the stone lying on his chest. He glanced over at Penelo, and saw that she held the Virgo stone in her hand.

In the meantime of Vaan's battle, Ramza and Balthier were also battling furiously. Balthier was a machine, utilizing his rage and anger to fortify combat skills he didn't even know he possessed. He had drawn the bow and arrow originally, firing arrows rapidly at the three demons, driving them backward. Each demon had two arrows sticking out of its body somewhere, but that wasn't enough to kill them. So Balthier had his two pistols drawn next, and fired mercilessly at the Demons. One possessed Temple Knight fell to the ground, dead, but the other two were still driving forward. That's when Balthier unsheathed Fran's katana and his own dagger.

He raced forward and swung the sword at one demon, slicing at the claw that was coming toward him. As he passed the claw, he brought the dagger in his left hand up into the side of the neck of the other demon. He twirled and stuck the katana through the lower back of that Demon, and as the Demon fell to the ground, he jumped on its back and pushed off. As he pushed off he threw the dagger down and grabbed the katana in both hands. He jumped off the back of the falling demon with his sword poised high above his head. He swung the sword down quickly and sliced the head of the demon right down the middle.

With all the strength he could gather, all the rage he had inside, and all the anger he had bottled up, he twirled, swinging his sword at the waist of the demon, and cut the body of the possessed Temple Knight in half. He walked back over to his dagger, picked it up, scabbed it, and looked over to Vaan who had just killed his demons, and was now looking at Ramza battle St. Ajora.

St. Ajora was firing powerful magic at Ramza, but Alma was also using support magic to parry the blows. Ramza was more than a match for the Angel though, and ran his sword through the stomach of St. Ajora. Vaan and Balthier had ran up at that time, and they all hacked away at her body.

"No..." Ajora whispered under her breath. "I will not be defeated again!"

There was a massive blue shockwave that engulfed the entire Graveyard of Airships then, exploding blue light and energy. And when the blue light had settled, Altima floated there before them, a large skeleton with red wings.

"Again, you will see my true power!" Altima shouted.

Altima sent rays of magic flying everywhere, but Alma couldn't use her support magic much longer. Vaan, Balthier, and Ramza did their best to hack at her again, but Altima was much more resistant to the attacks. Altima eyed the helpless Penelo and laughed evilly.

"Ramza we cannot defeat her!" Vaan cried in a frightened voice.

"We have to try! I had more warriors here when I defeated her last time with different skills!" Ramza shouted back. "But we can't lose now!"

"Don't worry brother," Alma comforted, walking forward. "You are the descendant of the one who defeated Altima hundreds of years ago, but I am your sister, therefore I too, am the descendant."

And suddenly, in their great time of despair, Alma pulled out the Serpentarius stone.

"Alma, no!" Ramza cried.

Alma opened her will to the demon in the stone, utilizing its power, but imposing her strong will over the instincts of the Lucavi. Serpentarius was by far the most lethal Lucavi demon of all the zodiac stones. It was hidden deep within the Deep Dungeon, sealed away because of its power.

Alma transformed into the Lucavi quickly as Ramza, Vaan, and Balthier stepped away from Altima. Vaan ran to Penelo to guard her against any attacks, and Ramza ran to his sister to try to stop her. Balthier could only stand there in rage.

It was too late though, Alma already transformed. She sent a powerful spell flying at Altima, it looked almost as if a snake were flying through the air at the Death Angel. Then, in a moment, Alma summoned the Zodiac Summon. It focused its star light energy on Altima and then sent a blazing beam of destruction at the Angel. Altima was blown backward but was still alive. Alma's Lucavi flew at Altima, and upon their collision there was an enormous explosion, and the Graveyard of Airships started to shudder. There was a massive explosion, and Ramza knew from the last time that Altima had been defeated.

Suddenly, his vision went blank, and he could feel himself being transported out of the Graveyard of Airships.

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Ramza awoke in the Murond Death City, where he and Alma had awoken six years earlier after the defeat of Altima. His friends had all been killed in the blast last time, and hoped that he wasn't the only survivor this time. He sat up, and felt something in his hand. It was the Serpentarius zodiac stone. He looked left and right, and saw that Vaan, Balthier, and Penelo were laying unconscious nearby.

He crawled over to them and woke them all up.

"What happened," Vaan said rubbing his head.

"Altima has been defeated," Ramza said, sadly. "But Alma killed herself in the process."

"I'm so sorry, Ramza," Balthier consoled.

"Penelo!" Vaan instantly exclaimed. He meant no disrespect to Ramza's sudden loss, but he was overcome by relief that she was safe and sound.

"Vaan! I'm so happy you're here!" Penelo sighed, frightened and scared.

She fell into his arms, shaking in terror, laying there motionless.

"Ramza, what do we do now? How do we make it back to East Ivalice?" Balthier questioned. "There's no way we can get through the cavern without Fran and Alma."

"There may not be another way," Ramza replied. "Let's just settle here for a few minutes and recuperate, and then we can leave and explore our options."

And that's exactly what they did. Ramza tried to get over the loss of his beloved sister, while Balthier thought of Ashe and his promise to return to her, and while Vaan and Penelo hugged each other in relief.

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"Delita went WHERE?!" Ramza exclaimed.

"Apparently he's taken the entire army into the tunnel," The bartender replied. "He just exercised a draft not more than two hours ago and they left immediately for the East."

"How long were we down there for?" Balthier asked Ramza.

"Who knows, it's kind of a different dimension. Time passes oddly," Ramza replied. Then he turned back to the bartender and asked, "Do you remember the last time that we can in here?"

"Yeah, it was earlier today. I'd say seven or eight hours," The bartender replied. "Why," he laughed, "What're you, too drunk to remember when you came in here?"

"No, no," Ramza replied seriously. He turned to Vaan, Penelo, and Balthier, "Okay, we need to find this tunnel and follow Delita. That scares me that he brought the entire Western Army through that tunnel to the East."

"Well, the tunnel isn't too far from here. It's just south, maybe a thirty minute ride by chocobo," The bartender replied. "Here, I'll draw you a map."

The bartender did just that, and the group bought some more chocobos and found their way to the underground tunnel, unaware of what Delita's full plan was.

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"Queen Ashelia?" the Archadian noble spoke.

Ashe was sitting at her throne at that moment, and before her stood representatives from Archadia and Rozarria.

"The Archadian Senate has decided to give you the rights to power in this time of need," the Archadian noble spoke. "They have agreed to your ideas of peace, understanding the plausibility and liklihood that you can attain it."

"The Rozarrian government has ruled the same," The Rozarrian noble then spoke up. "It has been over a week since the death of Al-Cid and Larsa Solidor. We've had time to think of our decision, and we want to let our nations all unite under your rule, much like King Raithwall many years ago."

_Over a week since their deaths?_ Ashe thought to herself. _That means that about six days have passed since the departure for Penelo. I hope everyone is okay_.

"I thank you for your messages, and I would like you to relay my message of extreme gratitude to those in power of your nations," Ashe replied.

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Balthier, Vaan, Penelo, and Ramza raced through the underground tunnels. There were millions of footprints stomped in the dirt, and it was clear that the army had in fact come through the tunnel. The bartender said that the travel under the tunnel was made in a straight line with no fiend encounters. It was estimated that the journey would take almost two days on foot, but only one day by chocobo. Since Delita had about five hours of a head start, the group knew that eventually they would encounter the rear of the army, and they wanted to avoid being seen at all costs.

The traveled on in the silence and darkness of the tunnel. Along the tunnel walls were burning lamps, most likely kept lit by some kind of fire magic, but the tunnels were very bland. They sped along anyways though, eager to find out what was going on and what was going to happen.

After many hours of traveling though, they needed to take a break. They dismounted their chocobos, tied them up, and slept on the dirt floor of the tunnel. It was most certainly almost night time, and they were a little more than halfway through the tunnel.

They all woke up hours later, eager to mount and continue riding. Ramza doubted that Delita had made his army rest. If Delita was bringing an army, he'd want to get them out as soon as possible. He could only imagine what was running through Delita's head though.

Many hours later, after just riding in a straight line, they started to hear the voices and stamping feet of the soldiers. Balthier motioned for everybody to slow down.

"How are we going to circumnavigated these soldiers?" Balthier whispered. "We need to somehow get out in front of them."

"You haven't seen the various exits along the way?" Penelo whispered back in question.

"Exits?" Balthier said, a confused look sitting on his face.

"Yes. Periodically there is a hole in the dirt ceiling on the side of the cavern with a ladder going up it. It makes sense," Penelo replied. "When digging this tunnel, they needed somewhere to put all the dirt, so they probably had a few holes every long distance or so in order to move the dirt above ground."

Balthier was stunned by her keen observation, "Well, okay then. Let's head back a little to the last exit. We'll crawl through, see how far we are from East Ivalice, and with any luck, maybe we'll find one with a ramp so our chocobos can get up too."

So the group followed those instructions, and with much luck, they did find an exit with a steep slope to the exit. They could lead their chocobos out of the tunnel easily. When they reached the surface, Balthier recognized the area immediately.

"We're on the western outskirts of Rozarria," he said intuitively.

"How do you know that?" Vaan asked.

"Vaan, a sky pirate has traveled all over the place. You'll know geography as well as me someday, mate," Balthier replied.

Ramza nodded silently, and the four of them rode their chocobos toward the perimeter of Rozarria, hoping to get to Dalmasca as soon as possible.

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There was a loud, steady knock at Ashe's door. She sat up in her bed, startled by it.

"Queen Ashelia!" An advisor's voice said loudly.

"What is it!" She hissed back. "It better be good to wake me at this hour!"

The advisor swung the door open, standing in front of Balthier, Vaan, Penelo, and Ramza. Ashe's face lit up in surprise and delight.

"Penelo!" She exclaimed, leaping out of bed, dressed in her nightgown, her hair all over the place. "Thank goodness you're safe!"

She ran toward Penelo and gave her a big hug, then looking at Vaan, nodding approvingly, and giving him a hug as well.

Then she looked at Balthier.

"Where's Fran?" Ashe asked.

Balthier sighed and replied, "Fran was killed saving my life. She died happily. Smiling even."

Penelo nodded sadly, "They told me the story on the way. It was a noble death."

Ashe stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Balthier's neck, tightly embracing him, whispering, "I'm so sorry for you loss."

"It's more than just my loss, Ashe," Balthier replied softly. "It's Ivalice's loss. The world lost one of the greatest beings I know."

Ashe looked deep into his eyes, kissed him on the cheek, and hugged him again. She did it to comfort his own sadness, but it was also to comfort her own relief that he was okay.

"Ashe, we come to you at this hour not just to tell you that we're back," Vaan started, "But Delita has brought his army from West Ivalice. Apparently, he is the king of all of West Ivalice."

Ashe gasped and replied, "The entire army?"

Balthier nodded, looking down at her in his arms. "They're already through a tunnel that Delita had been digging secretly for the past six years. It's located west of Rozarria's borders."

"Then, we must alert everybody immediately, and gather up the armies. I've been given the command of all four nations," Ashe replied. "I fulfilled my end of the promise just as you did yours, but now we need to stop this onslaught."

"We'll be in contact with them right away," Balthier nodded. "So get to sleep. We need to be rested and ready for an attack tomorrow."

Ashe nodded and added, "Just one last thing. Balthier, Vaan. I want you two to become Judges. I want the two of you to lead the armies."

Balthier sighed in disagreement.

"Please Balthier, pick up your Judge duties again, and resume the responsibility given to you years before," Ashe begged.

"I'll absolutely do it," Vaan stated.

"Zargabaath was relieved of his position years ago," Ashe stated. "Balthier, I want you to take up his armor. And Vaan," she continued, turning to the young man. "I want you to take up Basch's armor. Judge Gabranth's armor. I had his armor and sword sent here after the funeral earlier this week." Then Ashe turned to Ramza, "And I have the stone that Larsa used on himself as well."

Ashe walked over to her dresser, opened a drawer, and took out the stone of Gemini. She placed it in Ramza's hands.

"I also have some stones for you," Vaan added. He pulled out the stones of Aries, Cancer, and Scorpio and gave them to Ramza.

"And I have the Virgo stone," Penelo added, handing it over.

"This is excellent," Ramza thanked. "The only ones Delita has left now is Tauros and Leo."

"Alright, Ashe," Balthier interjected. "I'll resume my duties as Judge."

"Very well, Judge Bunanza," Ashe said seriously.

"Bunanza?" Ramza questioned. "Your last name is Bunanza?"

Balthier nodded.

"Funny, I had a good friend back six years ago who had the same last name," Ramza chuckled.

"And Vaan," Ashe started, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know your last name."

"That's because I don't have one," Vaan replied. "My brother never told me out last name after our parents died. He said we had to move on from our family."

"Well, then we'll have to call you Judge Vaan, won't we?" Ashe smiled.

"Doesn't matter what you call me, I'm still going to do what needs to be done," Vaan smiled in return.

And with that, Ashe went back to bed, and her companions slept over in the castle so when morning came they would all be ready to assemble.

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Alright everybody, that chapter may have flew by a little bit, but I didn't wanna spent a lot of time talking about running in a tunnel for hours on end haha. If it seems a bit rushed, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it that way, but I've still got a few more twists and turns in my story, action, and plots unveiled. Hope you stay tuned :D


	11. War

Vaan slid on the Judge's armor. There were still claw marks across the breastplate where Larsa had slashed Basch, but Vaan was proud to wear the same armor. He was also proud to wield the same sword that Basch fought with and that Larsa ended his life with. Vaan finished clasping the armor together, and then he tied the tassle Basch had given him to the end of his sword.

There was a knock at the door behind him. Everybody had risen early to get a head start on assembling the armies and getting word out of the attack.

"Come in," Vaan said.

"Vaan?" Ashe questioned, walking into the room, Balthier suited up behind her.

"Heaven on Earth," Balthier said outloud. "You look just like Basch."

Ashe looked at him in amazement and repeated the same thing. She walked up to Vaan and sized him up. He had indeed grown enough to fill up the armor the same way Basch had. His hair had also grown longer. The most stunning feature was that scar that ran across his left eyebrow now from the cut Ammon had given him nearly two weeks prior.

"Vaan, that scar above your eyebrow..." Ashe said outloud in amazement. "It's nearly identical to the one Basch got after the death of my father."

She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his hair backward out of his face and out of its part on the side. Vaan hadn't been able to shave for a day or two since they entered the tunnel, and he had a stubble beard growing along his jawline and neck. When she pulled his hair back, he now had a striking resemblance to a young Basch.

"Amazing," Balthier said in wonder. "Of course, Vaan's eyes and facial features are much happier than Basch's ever were. You're not nearly as intimidating, you big friendly stuffed animal."

Vaan and Ashe both chuckled at the remark.

Vaan looked over Ashe's shoulder at Balthier. He too filled out the armor very well. He held the helmet at his waist.

"You going to put the helmet on?" Vaan asked Balthier.

"At first I was against it, because I know it's going to ruin my hair, and I'm going to get serious helmet hair. But then the fair lady here reminded me that there most likely won't be any girls to impress out on the battlefield," Balthier joked, stating it with his air of coolness.

"No girls except for me," Ashe corrected.

"Absolutely not," Vaan immediately interjected.

"I know," Ashe said sadly, "But I wish I could be out there with all of you, defending my homeland."

"No, you just want to be out there so you can admire my fighting skills," Balthier replied calmly.

All three of them chuckled, but Ashe blushed lightly, and then defiantly replied in her serious, prideful tone, "Cocky bastard."

This shut Balthier up quick, but Ashe smiled at him jokingly, and that was the end of that.

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After much of the day passed, the armies were finally assembled right along the western border of Rozarria. Ashe had accompanied Balthier and Vaan to the front lines to make a speech to the soldiers. Penelo remained at the castle, but hugged Vaan goodbye for nearly ten minutes, visibly afraid for his well-being. He assured her that he was going to be okay, and the two exchanged a passionate kiss before they all left.

"Soldiers of Rozarria! Nabradia! Dalmasca! And Archadia! Listen to my words and advice carefully!" Ashe yelled to the thousands of soldiers in front of her.

There were nearly eight thousand soldiers there. A few other thousand were scattered throughout Eastern Ivalice in case of a surprise attack. Ramza estimated that Delita had brought nearly double the amount of soldiers with him. Western Ivalice was much larger, and Delita had been accruing soldiers for his army over the past six years. Ashe knew that they were outnumbered by double, but she continued on with her speech anyways.

"We have all come to unite in an attempt to maintain peace! But our peace is now threatened! And our unity has come at the perfect time! We now have a use for our unity! And we now can truly defend the name of our late kings and rulers! We can now fight for their memory and ideas! Miles away, the Western Army has assembled in an attempt to surprise us! We will not let them attack us! Nor will we allow them to get any farther than they have already come! We will push them back and massacre them until they have retreated back into the tunnel that they have been digging for the past six years!" Ashe continued to shout.

The soldiers had begun to cheer her on.

"And so now! Before you, I present your two generals! Judge Bunanza and Judge Vaan! They are epic fighters who have defeated Vayne! Driven back the rogue Occuria! And already crossed the dangerous mountains, indescribable river valleys, and the hundreds of thousands of undead inhabiting the cursed tunnels that lie between East and West Ivalice! They are your leaders in this time of war! They are true heroes in every sense of the word! They have dedicated their existence to the protection of others, and they are an example for all of you to follow! Defend your homeland with the same passion that these two men do!" Ashe ended.

The soldiers began to cheer uncontrollably, inspired by the feats of the two judges that stood on the stage on either side of Queen Ashelia.

"Best of luck soldiers! I know you will not fail your country's sovereignty and peace!" Ashe finished.

She turned, hugged Vaan, and then did the same to Balthier. To her surprise, he kissed her after she began to leave his embrace. She looked up at him in shock.

"In case I die on the battlefield," He explained, smirking.

She realized the possibility of the fact, and without holding back, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again in front of the army before them. The army cheered louder when they witnessed the trust Ashe put in this judge. She held Balthier's hand and was reluctant to let it go as she continued to walk toward the stairs to climb down from the platform.

Balthier and Vaan unsheathed their swords and held them up to the bright blue sky, making the soldiers cheer even louder.

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But hours later, that open, blue sky changed drastically, as did the entire scene. The West Ivalice army had charged forward, and with great surprise, they came face to face with the united East Ivalice Army. The Eastern Army took advantage of this surprise and lack of preparation. Vaan and Balthier led a charge straight into the enemy lines. The two of them raced forward together on the backs of armored chocobos. Their army followed behind them passionately.

They two armies crashed into each other like tidal waves crashing into each other. Vaan and Balthier had split up into two battalions and first took on the army head first. Their plan was to attack head on, but soon make their way to the sides of Delita's army in an attempt to surround them on three sides. Balthier looked as hard as he could, but Delita was nowhere in sight. His army was fighting under the command of generals.

Balthier had the same weaponry as the fight against Altima. He had Fran's katana drawn, his two pistols at his side, his dagger scabbed, and Fran's bow slung over his back. He rode on through Delita's army like a madman; a reckless killing machine. When in the middle of the frenzied combat he slashed and hacked away at any Western Ivalice soldiers from the height of his chocobo. When some of the enemy soldiers retreated he would draw his pistols and shoot them down in their escape. He'd also draw his bow and arrows and snipe down any oncoming chocobo cavalry. He led a charge all the way to the enemy's side perimeter, and the onslaught slowly drove the enemy back. Balthier took notice of the heavy casualties on both sides though.

Vaan was doing the same, except in the opposite direction. He kept his balance on the center of the chocobo, keeping tight to the saddle while swinging both Basch's old sword and Fran's old katana. He was slaying enemies left and right leading a charge toward the other side of the enemy's army. When he finally got to his side, he could see off in the distance that Balthier had succeeded in doing the same, and the enemy was retreating on that side.

Pretty soon, Vaan's side was retreating as well, and like a domino effect, before anyone knew it the entire enemy army was retreating. Vaan and Balthier had both decided that if their side maintained heavy casualties after the attack, that they would pull back if the enemy retreated.

The sky had turned black with storm clouds hours earlier, and now it was pouring rain down upon the battle. Vaan let the enemy retreat, and held the thousands of soldiers behind him at bay as Balthier did the same. They let the enemy go back to their encampment near the tunnel entrance, and they returned back to Rozarria's border to celebrate a victory.

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"That worked out perfectly, Balthier!" Vaan cried.

"Indeed," Balthier said solemnly, putting the fork to his mouth and eating the piece of meat he just cut.

Balthier and Vaan were sitting at an oak table within a Rozarrian inn eating the first full meal that they had in almost a week. Before that they were limited to rations and scraps on their journey to West Ivalice.

"We sustained too many casualties though," Balthier added. "We don't have as many lives to sacrifice as the enemy, and I'd like to lead our army with as few fatalities as possible."

"That's no problem, Balthier," Vaan replied. "We already decided what our second course of action would be. We've received the shipment of rifles. It cost a bundle, but Ashe successfully levied taxes across the nations and raised donations to buy them all. We can have the front lines fire away. We also have airships over here. We can just fly overhead and drop grenades and drop off battalions of soldiers in the middle of their army to destroy their army from the inside out."

"Exactly," Balthier said, swallowing a bite of food.

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"So the battle today was a success?" Penelo asked, sitting across the dinner table from Ashe.

"It sounds like it. We had many casualties, the numbers coming in say that we lost about 800 soldiers, but they have a better battle strategy as a plan B to reduce that number drastically," Ashe replied. "And yes, both Balthier and Vaan are safe."

Penelo blew a sigh of relief at the news. "So, is anything going on with you and Balthier that I should know about?"

Ashe shrugged, "He kissed me today for the first time ever, in front of the army nonetheless. And believe it or not, I kissed him back. Back four years ago, there was some romantic chemistry between us, but I was too focused on things to really act upon anything or give it much thought. But the more and more I've thought of it lately, I think I'm starting to fall for him."

"I think you two would make a great couple," Penelo said cheerfully.

"You don't think he's trying to play me or anything?" Ashe asked. "I'm just afraid that I might be some other girl to him."

"Believe it or not," Penelo started, "I've never seen him really go after any other women seriously. I've never known him to have a girlfriend, or even any romantic interests. I think he's just confident and collected."

"I'm still not sure. When we heard about Larsa's death, he was comforted me so much. I love being wrapped up in his arms, I feel so safe. I just know that he's there for me. While you were all gone, I also thought about him fondly, but I still don't know how he might feel, or what could happen," Ashe continued.

"It sounds like you haven't really noticed all those little things before, but they sometimes come up out of nowhere. It was a little like Vaan and I. We were also very close, almost like siblings, and the thought of a romance never really crossed our minds. But when it happened, it happened perfectly, and naturally too. It wasn't forced, it just felt right," Penelo advised.

"I think I feel a little like that," Ashe said, contemplating the thought. "But, thank you for talking to me Penelo. I can't remember the last time I had a female to confide in like this."

"Remember, it's okay to let loose sometimes," Penelo said with a smile.

The two of them finished their dinners and decided to go for a walk around the castle walls. The night was cool, but the wind lay still. The sky above was almost a dark blue color, illuminated by the crescent moon and the sparkling stars. It was peacefully silent and perfectly still. The two girls walked to the front of the castle and looked out to the city of Rabanastre.

The entire city laid in front of the castle. There were several torches lit up throughout the city, and it was illuminated by the orange flickering of the flames. The crowds and noise of the city was quiet and peaceful; extremely relaxing.

"Wow," Penelo thought outloud. "This is one of the most astounding sights I've seen in a while."

"I loved coming out here when I was alone. It let me know that there was something beautiful that I was trying to protect," Ashe replied.

There was silence for a moment, and then Ashe spoke again.

"What do you think about Larsa's death now that it's been almost two weeks?"

Penelo considered her answer for a moment and then replied, "I'm sad that he's gone. I think it's awful that he had to die so young. He really did have the best intentions, and he would have had one of the greatest reigns ever in history. He had the complete loyalty of the Archadian Senate and the love of his people. But at the same time, I'm glad his memory isn't dead, and I'm glad that people have been inspired by his death. It was almost like he was martyred and the people are now fighting to honor his memory. I doubt anyone besides us will know how he really died though. What do you think about his death? And Basch's?"

Ashe, too, considered her answer a moment before answering, "I miss them both dearly. I agree with you completely about Larsa. There was a time where I even considered marrying him when he got older. Then again, I've pondered that thought with a lot of different people. I thought the same about Basch for a while, knowing that he would make a noble king and a strong man of the people, as long as they could understand that he was no traitor. I also had the same thoughts about Al-Cid, infatuated by his essence, aura, and good intentions."

"What about Vaan and Balthier?" Penelo questioned further.

"Believe it or not. I had the same thoughts about Vaan, especially four years ago. His innocence, good will, and sincerity was very attractive. He could understand things that most people didn't care to see or think about in the same way. Don't worry though, there's no competition for his love," Ashe chuckled. "I've definitely had the thought about Balthier though. I wasn't too sure four years ago what kind of ruler he would make, but it really seems like he's changed a bit since then. Not by much, he's still the same as always, but I feel like his humanity has shed light a little more. I think I was just lonely for somebody to love and to love me in return."

"That's not the reason why you're confused about Balthier now though, is it?" Penelo asked. "Because that's not a good reason. You shouldn't love somebody because you're lonely. You should love them for the way they make you feel. And thinking about what you said before on your feelings about him, I'd say that whole idea of being lonely is an excuse you've made up."

Ashe smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"I'm going to go to bed now though," Penelo added. "It's getting late, and I want to go to bed with this image of Rabanastre fresh in my mind so that I can dream more of it tonight."

Ashe nodded, turned and hugged the young woman goodnight. It was odd to think that Penelo really was 21 years old now. She was almost as old as Ashe was four years ago. The memory seemed like just yesterday.

With that, Penelo left the presence of the Queen. Ashe remained there for a few more moments, and then turned to go back to her own bedchamber. She walked along the castle wall back down the stairs into the maze of hallways. She made her way down another few flights of stairs and then reached the door to her bedroom. She took her key and unlocked the door. She walked in, looking down at her feet deep in thought about Balthier, almost love struck, and she closed the door and locked it behind her.

"Pleasant evening, isn't it your majesty?" A voice said from the corner of the room.

Ashe's head shot up and her eyes darted to where the voice came from. From the shadowy corner of the room emerged the man with the scarlet tunic and black cape.

"Delita!" She said in surprise and fright.

She turned and unlocked her door, ready to flee from the room.

"Oh no Queen, I wouldn't do that. Believe me, you're much safer here just talking to me for a few moments," Delita said, stepping further from the darkness toward the center of the room.

"What do you want?" Ashe asked. "What is your whole plan, why are you here, and what do you stand to gain?"

"What do I stand to gain?" Delita repeated, half his face shrouded in darkness, the other half exposing a devious smirk, lit up by the moonlight. "I have all of Ivalice to gain, Your Majesty."

"What was your plan? Why did you manipulate Larsa and the other rulers?" Ashe questioned persistently, feeling a startling fear rise up inside of her.

"I'll tell you now because the information can help you in no way," Delita replied, taking another step toward Ashe in the darkened, silent, bedchamber. "Six years ago I became King of Western Ivalice. But believe me princess when I say this, there is an innate trait in human beings to always want more. We're not always satisfied with the things we have."

"That's not true," Ashe interjected.

"Young Larsa had the same answer before I gave him the Gemini Stone and exposed the thing that he wasn't satisfied with," Delita continued. "I do not know you well enough to tell you what you crave more than anything. But I did my research on my other puppets, and I could easily use that to manipulate them."

"You still haven't told me what you want with us," Ashe blurted angrily, not letting her terror show in her expressions or voice.

"I'm here to take over Eastern Ivalice. Once I do, I would control both the East and the West. When I took power six years ago I had this plan in mind, and I began to dig a tunnel across the distance between us so that one day I could lead my army through it to conquer your half of Ivalice, and then to set up a safe trade and travel route between the sides of Ivalice."

"So why did you chase Ramza and destroy our nations rulers?"

"Easy. I just wanted to cause as much confusion, uproar, and frenzy as I possibly could. This would leave East Ivalice weak against my attack. I decided to track down Ramza after hearing from a reliable source that he was still alive. I believed the statement the man made because I know he would not lie about such a thing, and it was perfectly plausible that they survived their final battle. After all, I had found a man named Thunder God Cid that had accompanied them. I found him unconscious in the Orbonne Monastery. Of course I killed him on the spot, but it left me to question whether Ramza was really dead. So I assembled a battalion of Temple Knights and came East. I wanted the zodiac stones from Ramza, because when I controlled both East and West Ivalice, if I had the zodiac stones I would have complete and unrivaled power."

"You would still have the opposition of the Occuria," Ashe spat.

"Ah, but you don't realize, the zodiac stones were actually a kind of nethecite created by the Occuria. I learned much about them in my castle's libraries. The Occuria gave you King Raithwall's nethecite, and they gave us the zodiac stones. The demon Altima that was resurrected is most likely the rogue spirit of an Occuria. I have done enough research to argue that point, but it of course does not relate to my plan. The bottom line is that the Occuria did not interfere with anything I had done, and after many different events, murders, and manipulations, they remained separate from my plans. So I just continued on, and they have never given me any problems."

"So you wanted to become King of all of Ivalice? And maintain control of the zodiac stones so that nobody could rise up against you?" Ashe questioned, still filled with dread.

"That's right. And when I got here I gained the trust of Conpichio and Ammon. I led them to instigate a war between Rozarria and the other nations. I also went to Larsa in an attempt to cripple him or get rid of him, and to with my luck, or rather, the favor the Occuria seem to bestow upon me, he was killed. I used the zodiac stones to let everybody run around and destroy themselves. That's how I gained my Kingship in the West. I manipulated people so that they destroyed themselves and each other, until finally I could marry the Queen and become King myself. I planned to do the same thing here, in a frighteningly close parallel."  
"So you come here to tell me what?" Ashe said, weary of the stranger in her bedroom.

"I come to offer you a few options," Delita continued, his black cape fluttering from a gust of wind from the balcony. "First option, you marry me. That way, we can both control East and West Ivalice. My intentions are not to destroy nations or kill people thoughtlessly, I just need to be king of all the land. With a marriage I can accomplish that, and you will gain immeasurable power as well. Another option, is that I leave this room and we can continue our war until I win, and trust me, I will. I still have tactics that you don't know about."

"Don't worry Delita, we have yet to even infringe upon our wartime potential," Ashe rebutted. "But both those options don't seem to work for me, so why don't you just surrender, spare the lives of your army, and go back to where you came from?"

"Well, there is a third option," Delita said, taking another step toward the Queen, slowly getting closer and closer.

"I doubt that I'll accept that one either, but go ahead and say it," Ashe said bravely.

In the blink of an eye Delita had leapt forward and jabbed a dagger into Ashe's stomach, whispering in her ear, "I can always just kill you, topple your army's morale, and continue to destroy these nations from the inside out."

Ashe thought through the pain of the dagger, letting Delita rest against her with the metal cutting into her belly.

"Do you have no heart? Or have you just done this before?" Ashe said calmly, somehow overcoming the pain, terror, and surprise.

"Oh no, I have a heart Your Majesty. I just have more brain and experience to think through decisions and actions. I've lost many loved ones and my conscience has taken heavy blows; I do have a heart. But, yes, I have done this before. This is how I killed the very Queen I married back in West Ivalice to become the sole ruler of the nations," Delita said, smirking devilishly.

Suddenly the door burst open from behind them. Ashe was hit by the door as it swung open violently and knocked Delita backward. Delita took the blade out of Ashe's stomach, surprised by the sudden interruption. Penelo stood at the door holding a spear. It was the zodiac spear that they had collected four years earlier. Ashe had forgotten that Penelo was the one who mastered it, since she was already so skilled with poles.

"Get out!" Penelo screamed.

Delita smirked, turned, and ran toward the balcony and jumped over the edge. Penelo ran after him, but when she looked over the balcony he was nowhere in sight.

Ashe slumped to the ground in pain and fright. She couldn't believe that she had remained so calm during the whole period of time.

"Ashe!" Penelo cried as she ran toward her fallen friend. "I came back up here to ask if you wanted to go to visit the frontlines tomorrow, but I heard you talking with someone else in the room. I'm so sorry I hadn't burst in sooner but I couldn't hear some of what you were both saying and I didn't want to intrude. But then I heard what he was saying once he was close to the door! I'm so sorry I hadn't done it sooner!"

"Don't worry, Penelo. Thank you for coming. But, please, go get a medic quickly," Ashe said, weak from shock.

Penelo nodded and dashed down the stairs to the infirmary. She quickly woke the doctor up and ushered her upstairs to the fallen Queen.

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	12. New Strategies

"Soldiers!" Balthier yelled at the top if his lungs. "Last night! Queen Ashelia was stabbed by the leader of the Western Ivalice Army! There was an attempt on her life and all the things we stand to protect! She is in critical condition right now! But this action will not go unpunished! We have supplied you with the new weapons, new strategies, and with this new information, I hope to high heaven that we've supplied you with a greater reason to destroy this enemy!"

The soldiers were cheering and beating their chests in anger and approval.

"We will end this attack today!" Vaan hollered. "We will move in and obliterate the enemy! They have decided not to surrender, and we must make it clear that we will attack with unwavering fury! Our enemy has no intent of surrendering or running away from our nations, so we must completely annihilate the Western Ivalice Army!"

The soldiers continued to cheer.

"And now! Move into your ranks and prepare to move out!" Vaan finished hollering, looking at Balthier with stalwart determination.

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The East Ivalice Army marched forward so that they could come face to face with Delita's army again.

"Balthier, we've been fighting for the past day, but have we gotten word as to where Ramza disappeared to?" Vaan asked his fellow general.

Balthier shook his head, "I'm sure he'll show up somewhere, sometime."

After they covered a large amount of distance, they came upon the enemy encampment. The enemy appeared to be loosely assembled, caught off guard again by the aggressiveness of Vaan and Balthier's tactics. Delita's army started to charge forward in a messy formation of battalions. Vaan and Balthier were ready, and had their riflemen lined up in the front line. As the thousands of Western Ivalice soldiers started to really assemble and charge forward, the rifleman fired away, gunning down countless enemy soldiers.

This went on for about five or ten minutes until the enemy realized that it was impossible to get close to the army with a considerable number of fighters for hand to hand combat. While in their confusion, Balthier sent the command for the small airships to come in. From off in the distance, the engines of tens of airships could be heard. And then from behind Vaan and Balthier's army the airships soared overhead, headed steadily toward the ground.

The twenty or so airships that had been prepared slowed down and levitated not more than twenty feet off the ground directly above the enemy army. The bottoms of the airship opened and eight ropes from the bottom of each airship unraveled down to the ground, and a massive wave of soldiers slid down the ropes into the middle of the enemy. This sudden, unexpected maneuver forced many enemy soldiers closer to the main army. This allowed the riflemen to continue their shooting, killing an insanely large amount of men in the process.

Vaan suddenly heard an enemy general yell, "Alright! Quick! Bring out the monsters!"

And to Vaan's sudden horror, from off in the distance, he could see a large battalion of soldiers. It wasn't the soldiers he was worried about though, it's what was standing among them and coming over the hillside at blazing speed. Vaan shook his head in disbelief. Somehow, West Ivalice had tamed beasts, and not just any beasts, but the dangerous beasts that he had encountered in Middle Ivalice.

A whole assortment of monsters came running across the plane. There were herds of Behemoths, Antlions, Minotaurs, Malboros, Chimeras, and Iron Giants. From above these massive herds flew Tiamats, Zuus, and Garudas. The flying beasts sideswiped the airships almost immediately. The twenty airships were being attacked constantly by these flying beasts. Although they had heavy artillery, the beasts were much to close to fire accurately. Vaan watched in horror as all twenty of the airships plummeted and exploded into the ground.

The beasts of Middle Ivalice were upon the Vaan's army in no time as well. The West Ivalice army had retreated to let the beasts do their dirty work in the process. The rifles did minor damage to these huge beasts and the swordsmen had great difficulty bringing the gigantic beasts down.

"Soldiers! Retreat! Retreat now before it's too late!" Balthier shouted, riding his chocobo through the ranks of soldiers.

"Everybody! Back to the campsite as quick as you can! This battle can't be won right now!" Vaan shouted as well.

The soldiers did as commanded and ran and retreated as fast as they could. The West Ivalice generals held their monsters at bay, letting their enemy run.

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"How in the world did they tame those creatures?" Vaan said in wonder, speaking to Balthier and the other strategists gathered around the dinner table.

"Judge Vaan, we managed to take prisoners of war in the past two battles, and we interrogated them mercilessly to find that answer," One general replied. "It appears as though West Ivalice specializes in certain job classes, teaching special abilities to many different warriors. Evidentially, they can train warriors to act as a kind of mediator. These mediators then can confront wild beasts, and tame them effortlessly, allowing the beast to follow their commands."

"Our strategy will work if executed correctly, but those beasts are going to be a big problem," Balthier said in thought. "I doubt we could assemble a more massive army of airships than we already have though, not on such short notice at least."

"May I interrupt?" A voice said from behind them, entering the room.

Balthier, Vaan, their generals, and the strategists all turned to see who their visitor was.

"Marquis Ondore!" Vaan exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"  
"It's good to see both of you again," The Marquis spoke. "I have finished meeting with Queen Ashe a few hours ago, and I decided to personally come all this way to offer my services."

"Which services do you speak of, Marquis?" Balthier asked.

"Bhujerba is a city of the sky as you all know," Marquis Ondore started, "And I'm sure you all know what our main modes of transportation are, correct?"

Vaan smiled and looked at Balthier.

"I have over three hundred fighter airships to offer you, fifty bomber airships, and twenty heavily armored airships," The Marquis finished.

Balthier was elated at the news and stood up in excitement to shake the Marquis' hand.

"Thank you so much," He thanked graciously. "This will easily allow our victory."

"Unfortunately," The Marquis continued, "They will not be here till the day after tomorrow. They're being repaired, refueled, and restocked at the moment."

"That's fine, we can still battle the enemy for one more day, as long as those beasts don't run amok this time," Balthier added.

"I came this way to give you the news myself. I also came to wish you both the best of luck," Marquis Ondore stated. "I must take my leave now, and return to oversee the preparations that are in the process."

Balthier nodded and shook the man's hand again. Vaan stood up and walked over to do the same. Marquis Ondore bowed his head, turned, and took his leave. Balthier and Vaan returned to the table to continue discussing battle strategies.

"We also have some good news," One strategist said. "We asked Archadia for extra artillery, anything they could offer, and their scientists sent us a very peculiar gift."

Vaan nodded for the strategist to continue.

"They sent us fifty gallons of liquid nethecite. Manufactured nethecite," the strategist finished.

"What can we do with liquid nethecite?" Vaan asked.

"Well, it may be risky, but it was created to be injected into the bloodstream of soldiers. It gives them superhuman strength to a certain degree, enhanced stamina, and a more conscious state of awareness. They've been testing it for a few years now, and there seem to be no side effects. Once it's injected, it's permanent, but they've measured the doses to make sure that the warriors are not too overtaken by its power."

"That seems rather risky," Balthier observed. "Especially since we've just been given all these new airships."

"I agree. But I doubt the beasts we saw today are just going to go away. If we're going to fight tomorrow, we'll have to be able to fend off a good amount of those monsters," Vaan added.

"How many soldiers can be given this shot?"

"After calculating the dosages, a little over a thousand soldiers can be given this treatment. If you give us the word, we can do this tonight."

Balthier looked at Vaan for a moment.

"I don't agree with it," Balthier said.

"But even if we don't attack them tomorrow, I'm sure they will press on, knowing that we're weak against those monsters," Vaan countered. "I don't like it much, but I'm willing to do it."

"Only give it to soldiers who wish to have the injections then," Balthier commanded. "I don't want anybody to be forced to take it. Go spread the word right now, and in an hour have them meet at our tents. Gather up all our physicians and medics to administer the injections."

The strategist nodded, and he rose from the table with a few others to go spread the message.

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An hour later, nearly one thousand soldiers showed up to Balthier's tent. He was surprised at the turnout, but these men were clearly willing to sacrifice much for their nation's safety.

The first row of soldiers were about to receive the shots, when Vaan suddenly spoke up.

"Stop!" he shouted, walking forward to his warriors. "I will be the first to get this injection."

"Vaan!" Balthier exclaimed, concerned at his brash decision. "The shot is dangerous!"

Vaan turned to his fellow judge and said, "The effects of the shot may be potentially dangerous. But I would not give my men an option that I myself would not be willing to follow. If they're willing to accept this, then I will do the same."

The men clapped and cheered at the support of their general. Vaan stepped forward to the closest physician. He unbuckled the armor around his forearm, exposing his flesh. The doctor inserted the needle into the large vein that ran down his arm, and administered the shot. Vaan shut his eyes as he immediately felt a rush of dizziness come to his head.

The doctor pulled the needle out of his forearm, and everybody waited patiently to see what he said.

Vaan opened his eyes and started twitching his fingers. "It shouldn't kick in for another few minutes, but I already feel it coursing through my veins."

All the soldiers stood there in silence for the next five minutes, when Vaan suddenly did something incredible. He ran about fifteen feet and then pushed off the ground and leapt in the air as high as he could. His soldiers looked on in shock as Vaan jumped up at least fifteen feet in the air. Vaan landed lightly on the ground and walked over to the woods that bordered the edge of their encampment. He wrapped his arms around the trunk of a small tree. He lifted up as hard as he could, using all his might. Suddenly, he could hear the sound of roots tearing apart and dirt shifting as he pulled the small tree out of the ground.

The soldiers started to cheer when they saw these amazing feats. Vaan turned with a large grin on his face.

"Administer the shots!" He yelled, his voice booming, louder than had ever yelled before. He was surprised at the volume of his voice, but it made sense, since his vocal chords were also amplified by the injection.

Those thousand soldiers were given the shot, and Vaan had a battle strategy already in his mind for the next day.

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The night passed quickly. Vaan had only needed a few hours of sleep, his body was already so energized and well-rested from the liquid nethecite shot. He and Balthier rounded up the troops, and Vaan told Balthier what he had in mind for a battle strategy.

They gathered up the troops and sorted them into their respective formations. Vaan would lead his own army of the thousand troops who accepted the shot. Balthier would command the remaining thousands. The army marched early in the morning though, hoping to catch their enemy off guard again.

As they neared the enemy encampment, they realized their enemy was indeed ready this time. Their army was already assembled and the beasts were there waiting for the attack.

"Alright soldiers!" Vaan yelled in his amplified voice. "Now is the time! Follow my lead and we will surely defeat all that lays in front of us!"

His soldiers cheered in response, their voices amplified as well, echoing throughout the plain. Vaan faced the beasts in front of him, and rode his chocobo forward, his soldiers running at superhuman speed behind him. When he came within fifty feet of the beasts, the massive fiends ran forward as well.

The first beast that Vaan would focus on was the gigantic Chimera that charged at him. Vaan stood on the back of his running chocobo, and when he was within jumping range, he leapt off his chocobo soaring over twenty feet in the air. He had his katana and sword drawn ready to attack the Chimera.

As he began to plummet at the creature, one of the three heads the Chimera had snapped forward, its jaws snapping hungrily. Vaan landed on the head of the beast. The middle head of the Chimera still snapped violently, and Vaan let himself be thrown in the air and eaten by the head of the chimera.

Vaan fell into the mouth of the beast, making sure he avoided the sharp fangs of the animal. While in the mouth he jabbed his blades into the roof of the monster's mouth. The monster opened its mouth in a pained roar, and Vaan let himself fall into the throat. With his superhuman strength, he stuck his blades into the throat of the beast, thrust them forward, and with immense power, he cut through the neck, chopping off the head of the chimera from within the throat.

He fell out of the throat covered in blood and saliva, but jumped back in the air, soaring over the other two heads of the injured chimera and landed on its back. He scabbed his sword, but jabbed the katana deep into the back of the Chimera. He kept the blade there, and with his incredible strength, he ran along the back of the Chimera, dragging the sword along the vertebrae of the animal. The animal roared and stomped around in pain, but Vaan still managed to keep himself on the back of the beast.

Vaan leapt off the monsters back and then repeated the same thing to the belly of the animal. He ran under the beast, jammed his katana deep into the belly of the animal, and ran toward the front of the body slicing through the tough flesh of the fiend. The beast roared even louder, and when Vaan got under the approximate area of the heart, he jabbed the katana even deeper and then with unbelievably speed, he took the katana out and rammed it up into that area five or six times in the span of two seconds. The beast started to fall to the ground, too injured to stand or carry on, and Vaan rolled out from under the beast, narrowly escaping its collapsing body.

His soldiers cheered at this incredible feat of speed, strength, and acute awareness, and they too charged at the rest of the beasts. Vaan watched groups of enhanced warriors leap in the air and slice mercilessly at the beasts in front of them. A few men were caught in the jaws of the beasts or stomped flat under their tree-trunk like legs, but for the most part, the men were so juiced up that they overwhelmed the beasts easily.

Balthier led the rest of the army forward, rifles aimed, cocked, and ready just in case the actual army of the West decided to charge forward to assist the beasts. A few of the flying beasts came down to attack the men, but Balthier had his men start to fire at the flying fiends. The fiends were shot and were only wounded slightly, but it was enough to make them back off from their attacks.

The men continued to fight for the next hour, not losing any strength or stamina, completely overtaken by the abilities granted to them by the liquid nethecite. And soon enough, the titanic bodies of the herds of beasts littered the battlefield. And that's when the entire West Ivalice army charged.

Vaan saw the wave of soldiers coming at them, and soon realized that this time, there were thousands of mages dispersed throughout the army firing off onslaughts of powerful magic.

"That's enough, men!" Vaan commanded. "We came and did what we wanted! The beasts are slain! We are now ready to proceed with our main strategy tomorrow! Let us retreat now before more of us are slain!"

His men nodded, and Vaan and Balthier's army retreated back to their campsite to let the West Ivalice army ponder the potential of their enemy.

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	13. The Final Battle

Balthier and Vaan had let the rest of the day pass. The hours flew by as if they were seconds, and the next morning came upon them faster than lightning. But with the morning, came the roar of the airships Marquis Ondore had promised.

Vaan and Balthier stood outside their tent looking at the sky. The airships were navigated so closely together that it looked like a giant black storm cloud. Balthier turned to Vaan and smiled, Vaan turned and did the same.

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Vaan and Balthier took their army across the plain for what they hoped was the last time. They had enough airships to easily dismantle any flying beasts that remained. And when they came upon the encampment of West Ivalice, the airships closed in overhead quickly, and the ground soldiers were rendered helpless.

Balthier had set up the lines of riflemen once again to fire away at the oncoming enemies. The enemies already knew that their attacks were useless, and when they ceased to charge forward, Vaan led his enhanced warriors to the front line, charging straight into the enemy. The airships again lowered themselves close to the ground, letting soldiers jump out to attack the center of the army below. Their attack was nearly identical to the strategy created two days earlier. Except this time, the beasts were gone, and the numbers of the enemy didn't matter, because once the skies were controlled, those on the ground were helpless.

The slaughter continued for twenty minutes until all the enemy soldiers realized the impossible odds and the number of building casualties. Their army's casualty numbers were now well over a few thousand. In no time, more riflemen jumped down from the airships to continue the slaughter of the enemy soldiers. Finally, when enough battalions were dismantled in confusion, Balthier and Vaan gave the order for a full on charge.

At that moment, the five thousand soldiers the two Judge's had behind them roared and raced forward toward the remaining ten thousand or so enemy soldiers. The rifleman within the enemy army were gunning down soldiers left and right, and the airships now started to move toward the back of the enemy army where none of their own soldiers were, and started to drop bombs down below onto the enemy soldiers.

Within twenty minutes the enemy army had been reduced to a mere thousand or so, completely helpless to the attacks of Vaan and Balthier's army. In a panicked frenzy, they all retreated toward the tunnel where they came from. Balthier and Vaan led their army forward, and gave the order to continue sniping down the enemy soldiers. The airships were also instructed to hover above the tunnel and wait for all the soldiers to get inside. After fifteen minutes of more massacre and scrambling into the tunnel, the airships dropped a massive array of bombs on the land. The explosions rocked the ground below them, causing the tunnel to collapse and light up in flames.

After another ten minutes, Balthier and Vaan were sure that nearly all the enemy soldiers had been killed, and they gave the order to back off, convinced that they had a flawless victory.

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Delita sat on top of a chocobo looking at the battle from half a mile away, out of sight. Queen Ashelia had responded exceptionally well to his scare tactics, and she was absolutely right that he underestimated their technology and war tactics. His army and soldiers were so far behind technologically, he realized that the collapse of his army was his fault; he didn't prepare or equip them well enough. But it wasn't his carelessness, it was the unlikely odds that Vaan, Balthier, and Ramza had survived and given word of the tunnel and the attacks. It was also the unexpected reaction of Queen Ashelia that had partially thwarted Delita's plans. His plans had worked perfectly up until that point, but when he saw the destruction of his entire army with his own eyes, he decided it was time to turn around and begin to travel back to West Ivalice. Who knows what would even happen. His people might not accept him as King anymore. This all weighed heavily on his mind. He anticipated the risks and the consequences, but the complete slaughter of sixteen thousand soldiers just seemed impossible to him. Evidentially, there had always been the possibility, he just didn't see it.

So with that, he turned his chocobo around and started to ride it back to Western Ivalice. He hoped somewhere along the way he could find a hole along the tunnel so he could go in and make it safely back to West Ivalice.

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"Vaan, I'm ecstatic that our victory progressed so well, but was all that fighting really worth the risk of injecting yourself with the nethecite?" Balthier asked, standing next to his tent, overlooking his thousands of troops rejoicing in celebration.

"I certainly hope that it doesn't kill me or anything, but I think it's worth it. I've had fighting abilities and mental awareness that I could never have dreamed of even having. Who knows, maybe in the future, there can be a whole new way of life with its capabilities."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I mean think about it. If we kept using enough nethecite, we could put it into the Earth itself to help with growing food and producing woodland. If that really did work maybe we could even get the world itself to come alive," Vaan continued, smiling at his grandeur ideas.

"Yeah right, like the world would ever come to that, or society for that matter," Balthier laughed.

"But no, seriously, if it was done right, the whole planet could come alive! And then it'd be much easier to extract nethecite. The future generations could make reactors and things to harvest the nethecite. It comes in solid form, we've made it into liquid, maybe next we can make it gaseous. We could eventually enhance soldiers by using it."

"Please, Vaan," Balthier chuckled. "You sound more ridiculous by the second. Next thing you know you'll start talking about how the Occuria can dream up people and worlds and bring them to life, or that there'll be an impossibly strong beast that revives every few years to slaughter the countryside. And that.. that... summoners had to sacrifice themselves to kill it. Or even that there is really some alternate world, like a far away plane, where we send spirits and they wait there."

Vaan laughed at how much Balthier was exaggerating.

"Oh wait, no! I have a better one! There are beings on another planet, right? And they need to take over our planet, okay? So they magically seal their souls and send an Angel of Death, like Altima, to kill life on our planet!"

"Hahah, come on now, I didn't go that far," Vaan happily rebutted.

"Please. The planet coming alive? And harvesting nethecite to make warriors? Why didn't you just say that after the Occuria sealed the Espers away, our society lost all its magic, and we started relying on machines and steam power for things, or something like that. What the hell, while we're having fun, let's just say the world is in danger of coming to an end because the magic crystals of nature are destroyed, and then Ragnarok happens."

Vaan shrugged, smirking at all the crazy things they were rambling on about, and replied, deep in thought, "I don't know. It could happen."

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Hahah yep, short chapter, even for a Final Battle. But when describing war scenes, or even individual battles, there's only so many words you can say, actions you can describe, and formations you can portray. I felt that if I really made this battle deep and in detail it would just be like repeating myself, and reading about more hand to hand combat after all of these chapters on a massive war-size scale just seemed like it'd get boring.

BUT, I'm nearing the end of my story, I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Who knows, maybe in time I'll think of other plots, characters, twists, or events that would fit in with my plotline, or even a further sequel and continue where I left off, but for now it's starting to wrap itself up.

BTW, I hoped you all caught on in that last scene. Hahah I already threw in the mention of Final Fantasy VIII a bunch of chapters ago, and so I thought I'd have Balthier and Vaan just dreaming up funny events. I hope you realized that all those impossible events are the events that happen in other Final Fantasies though rofl.

Who knows, it could totally happen. Manufactured nethecite slowly is put into the planet and evolves over time becoming the Lifestream and Mako (FF7). And that the Occuria are actually a different form of The Fayth (FFX, FFX-2), and that their world is the far plane. And since there's the farplane, Gaia's lifecyle of souls is able to continue on (FF9), until beings from another planet come to attack. And then they realize after they fight off the Terra (FF9 again), their world is still in danger because they've discovered that along with nethecite, and zodiac stones, the Occuria created four crystals to maintain the world, and the crystals are in danger of being destroyed (The storyline of most of the original Final Fantasies). Eventually the world becomes way more technologically advanced, and the Occuria decide that they're bored, so with the farplane and their souls they create the Time-Compressed world and become sorceresses (FF8). Oh man, the possibilities... :D


	14. Epilogue and Psychomachia

Will, this is it, the last chapter of my story. Thanks to Sita Silver-Breeze for commenting so many times on it, and for every1 else who decided to follow along. I really enjoyed writing this story and I hope you enjoyed reading it. And now, I've begun a second fic (That has no Tactics included dont worry, its straight up XII), and it's called "The Struggles of Nations", check it out, i'd really appreciate it!

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Balthier and Vaan returned to Ashe's castle, completely victorious. Two days had passed since the end of the battles. Ashe had now fully recovered, and she was going to be fine. Balthier and Vaan wanted to see her sooner, but thought it best to let her recover on her own. Plus, they owed it to their soldiers to hold giant bonfires and feasts to celebrate their victory. The soldiers loved their two generals for crushing the enemy when given the chance, and for charging headfirst into the first battle, risking their lives to fight alongside the soldiers. And so Vaan and Balthier spent the next two days conversing with their subordinates and soldiers, celebrating, and gaining their trust and approval.

Penelo had remained in Ashe's room the full two days though, helping her recover. She let Ashe squeeze her hand when in pain, and let her ramble on when she was affected by nightmares of the terror she had felt from Delita's encounter. Something about that night had affected her deeply, and she wasn't sure why. Something about Delita was scary, his presence was powerful and intimidating. She was disturbed by his powers of manipulation and how close they had actually come to working. She was also disturbed by the fact that he murdered the Queen of the West and the shadowy presence he had in her room. She was also haunted by the speed he had come upon her, stabbing her upper abdomen. It was unexpected and shocking for some reason. Ashe had never been confronted or assaulted that way before.

Vaan and Balthier were back now though, and Ashe was walking around on her own. She stood in the main hall with Penelo when Balthier and Vaan walked in through the doors, still flaunting their armor.

"Are you two always going to keep those outfits on now?" Penelo asked happily, running over to Vaan.

"Of course, it's an honor and a privilege," Balthier replied, looking down at the set of armor her wore. "We've gained the unwavering support of the troops, and defended our nations against a strong enemy. I have every reason to flaunt this armor."

Ashe was happy that Balthier was so positive about his new role, especially since he was hestitant to accept it originally. Ashe did her best to walk toward Balthier, but it pained her slightly to walk quickly. Balthier must have noticed her discomfort, so he rushed forward, and swept the Queen off her feet. She whooped in delight, and wrapped her arms around her neck.

But suddenly, while still holding her, Balthier got down on one knee. He let Ashe's legs lay propped up on his knee, his right hand still holding her, while he reached to his side with his left hand and brought up a golden ring with a beautifully cut diamond resting on top.

"Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca," Balthier started, "Will you marry me?"

Ashe felt her breathing stop for a second as her heart skipped a beat in her chest. Her eyes lit up in an excited delight, and the only thing she could utter was: "Of course."

Balthier let the Queen stand up on her own two feet, but for a moment her legs felt weak beneath her, overwhelmed with joy.

"Balthier! Where in the world did you get the money for this ring?! It must have been so expensive!"

"Well," Balthier started, "I sold the _Strahl_."

Ashe's jaw dropped in awe, "You did _what?_"

"That's right, I sold her."

"Balthier, why would you do such a thing? You're a sky pirate! That was the prized possession of both you and Fran!"

"That's exactly why I sold it. Because being married to you gives my life a purpose. It makes me feel like I'm worth something. It makes me more complete than being a sky pirate ever did. Fran died to protect me and my happiness, and I know deep down, that she would be elated that I could come to do something like this. I love you Ashe. I think I always have."

Ashe let a tear of joy roll down her cheek as she let herself fall into the embrace that she cherished so much. Penelo looked at Vaan happily, and to her utter amazement, Vaan did the same.

Vaan knelt down on one knee, pulled out a ring nearly identical to the one Balthier had, and said, "Penelo, will you marry me?"

Penelo felt her a rushing chill of happiness fly from her feet up to her head.

"Of course, Vaan!" She cried out, leaping into his strong arms.

"You give my life meaning too. You always have, and I know you always will," Vaan spoke.

"Okay though, Vaan, now it's your turn to explain. Please don't tell me you did anything crazy for this?" Penelo pleaded.

"Would selling the_ Quetzacotl_ qualify as crazy?" Vaan smiled.

Penelo's mind went blank when he said that.

"Penelo?" Vaan said, chuckling at her response.

"You seriously sold it! But that was your life goal! That was your dream!"

"No, Penelo. Loving you like this and finding a purpose for my life was always my dream. Being a Sky Pirate was just a temporary solution, a temporary life purpose. Balthier and I both agreed to put our lives as sky pirates to the side and spend our time doing something that really mattered. We wanted to do something that made us feel as if we were worth something, and I know when I'm with you, I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world."

"Second luckiest, Vaan," Balthier interjected. "I'm clearly the luckiest. It's true though, Ashe. We both decided that this not only needed to be done, but we wanted it to be done. It's what Fran would have wanted, she wanted my life to be meaningful."

"And I know it's what Basch would have wanted. He would want us to protect something we loved at any cost. I know Larsa would approve as well," Vaan continued, "He would have wanted us all to live lives dedicated to protecting the peace he wanted so badly."

"The same goes for Al-Cid," Vaan added. "He would have wanted Rozarria to stop its constant fear of attack. He would have wanted all of this to happen."

Ashe and Penelo smiled at their fiances, and then they smiled at each other. Everything was perfect. They were all truly happy.

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The weddings were held a few weeks later, both couples just couldn't wait any longer. It was a glorious day in the history of Eastern Ivalice. It was special because of the two marriages, but it was even more special because of the strings that Ashe had pulled in the passing weeks. She had successfully convinced each nation to adopt a new leader.

So after the weddings, the vows, and the exchange of the rings, when it came time to settle down at the wedding banquet, Ashe had an announcement to make.

"Today is a special day for each and every one of us," Ashe began. "It is special to the four of us because we have become united with those we love. But it is also a special day for you, because there has been an agreement among nation leaders. I am pleased to announce this good news on this happy day. Judge Balthier Bunanza has been selected to be the leader of Rozarria. Judge Vaan has been selected to be the leader of Archadia. I will remain as the Queen of Dalmasca. And Penelo has been selected to be the leader of Nabradia. The soldiers were so inspired by Vaan and Balthier in their time of war that they embraced each general as their own leaders. I have been assigned the task of selecting the new leader of Nabradia as well, and I know of no one better than Penelo to help the rest of us."

Vaan, Balthier, and Penelo sat there speechless, confronted by the booming wave of applause that rolled on after the announcement had been made.

So after that day, the couples could still live together while ruling their respected territories. All threats had been averted, and things were truly perfect.

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Delita stopped for a break. He had started up a small fire and taken out some fruit that he had packed. He took a couple bites of one piece of fruit and then gave the rest to his chocobo. The sun had started to hide behind the mountain peaks. It was twilight. Delita sat there on the top of the hill, admiring the sunset.

"Good boy," Delita said, patting the gentle creature's beak.

He smiled to himself as he looked at the magnificent animal in its stature and beauty. He scratched the top of the chocobo's head and the tamed animal cooed in delight. As he looked at the chocobo he had thoughts of his past running through his life. Thoughts about anything and everything: The feelings of helplessness while growing up as a peasant, the pain of losing his sister, the fact that his sister died to protect him from the explosion, the murdering of Zalmo, Goltana, and other powerful leaders, the sorrow of Ovelia's death. Although he murdered her, in his quest to solve his country's plight he did fall in love with her. There were so many other thoughts though; His anger that was aimed at those who manipulated him, which in turn led him to promise himself never to be manipulated again. It was all heavy on his mind after the recent events, but he in fact did solve the problems of West Ivalice years ago and maintained peaceful rule there ever since. The final result was perfect, albeit the tragedies that happened in the process.

"Finally get tired of running?" A voice said from behind Delita.

Delita spun, startled. Ramza walked up behind him, leading his own chocobo, his sword scabbed at his side. Ramza circled the fire and sat next to Delita holding his own kind of fruit.

"Did you follow me here?" Delita asked, weary of the differences between the two of them, yet feeling consoled in the presence of his old friend.

"Oh yeah, ever since the final battle," Ramza replied, taking a bite out of his piece of fruit. "I found where you were hiding on the sideline, and I followed you all the way here," he continued, after taking a few more bites and then handing the rest of the fruit to the hungry mouth of the chocobo.

"You think I was wrong," Delita stated.

"Absolutely," Ramza replied. "The ends don't justify the means. And, names don't matter. What's important is how you live your life. Frankly, Delita, you've done a lot of bad."

"Are you sure?" Delita asked. "After I was done six years ago, Western Ivalice was united and happy. And it appears that now I've done the same for Eastern Ivalice too. Except this time, I'm not the King."

"I've done a lot of good too. I exposed the church back a few years ago and fought off the resurrected St. Ajora. I also defeated a lot of the other leaders which helped you have a chance to rule," Ramza added.

"And I've destroyed many enemies and united entire continents," Delita added. "I'm not the bad guy. Years back, I even did the same as you, exposing the church for its problems and flaws."

"But you have nothing left," Ramza stated. "Your entire family is gone, and now your kingdom will reject you."

"You have nothing left either. Where is Alma anyways?"

"She... sacrificed herself to kill Ajora last week," Ramza replied sadly.

"Ah, now you know what its like for your sister to die."

"Please, Delita. I've already had unbearable pain in my family anyways. My father was poisoned by my brother, and I had to kill my other brother with my own hands."

"Well, you have nothing left either. You've been branded a deceased heretic back at home, there's no way you can return there."

"You'll probably be run out of West Ivalice too if you returned after being the cause for deceiving the people into thinking the tunnel was made for their benefit."

"Oh but it was for their benefit. Once Eastern Ivalice was conquered, the tunnel would be a safe trade and travel route. I did everything for Ivalice's benefit. I didn't mean for sixteen thousand soldiers to be slaughtered thoughtlessly. It was a barrage that I couldn't possibly have anticipated. I did it so that when all is said and done everybody would be better off."

"The ends still don't justify the means."

"Whatever," Delita replied, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the Leo and Tauros stones, handing them over to Ramza. "Here you can have these, I assume you already have the rest."

Ramza nodded.

"Who's philosophy is right?" Delita continued. "Yours or mine? Yours is more noble, but mine has definitely worked successfully."

"I don't think we can answer that," Ramza replied.

"Do you think it's possible to settle our differences? I won't betray you. I swear by my dead sister Teta... I mean, we grew up best friends. Remember those days? I was just some low-life peasant to your family."

Ramza smiled and answered, "Who knows, I don't think we can ever settle our differences. But I sure do remember the old days. Back then I was considered the 'weak link' in the Beoulve family."

"Yeah, I think you're right about our differences though. It's too bad."

"You think we could settle and colonize Middle Ivalice together?" Ramza questioned. "The tunnel actually isn't a bad idea."

"Nah. The tunnel would do good things and bad things. It would have a lot of benefits, but if both halves aren't united then there'll probably be more bad than good," Delita replied. "The technology of airships and guns would spread to the other end of the continent, which would be helpful, but would also be used for violent warfare. It would also be an easy way for prisoners, bandits, or armies to travel. Remember, I'm not the bad guy. I still care about the well-being of the nation, I've just appeared to be evil in my methods."

"That's cause your methods are evil, Delita," Ramza replied, smirking at his old friend.

"I'm sorry about Alma, Ramza," Delita said gravely. "Really. It's a shame that both our sisters are dead. They were both angels."

"I'm sorry things turned out this way," Ramza added.

"I'm not sure I can say the same," Delita said quietly, contemplating his response the moment he said it. "I'm glad West and East Ivalice were able to both unite. I'm sorry for those who have died, but certain sacrifices must be made for the greater good sometimes. I mourn for my sister, but if she hadn't been killed, I wouldn't have been driven to do any of this."

Delita looked down at the grass they were sitting on. He picked up a single blade of grass, and cupped his thumbs and hands around it. Then, he blew into it, and a familiar whistling sound filled the air.

Ramza laughed and said, "Yep. I remember father teaching us that. The good ol' reed flute. You remember sitting out on the Plains doing this?"

"Of course," Delita smiled. "Except this time, Teta's not out there watching the same sunset."

"It was a long time ago, Delita."

"I know, but I still feel out of place. I've felt out of place for a long time. I know there are things you can't change no matter what, but we've come so far, and so much _has_ changed, I don't know why I still feel like this."

"Sometimes, swimming against the flow can make you feel that way," Ramza said, nodding his head in thought.

"Those were good days, Ramza. Somehow, the days aren't as good anymore though, and I don't know why."

Ramza picked out a blade of grass, made a reed flute, and imitated Delita. They both laughed with each other. They stared out scenery before them. The land of Middle Ivalice was completely uninhabited. Everything was so still and peaceful. A calm breeze rolled by and caressed their faces. The clouds reflected the light of the sun, spreading a light orange tint from horizon to the other, eventually fading into a deep pink. Looking up at the zenith of the sky, Delita observed the beauty of all that hung above them, comforted by its presence.

"So what do we do now?" Delita asked.

"I don't know. I really don't. I don't want to go back to the West because I'm not welcome, and neither are you. And you can't go to the East because you're not welcome, but I could definitely go back to the East," Ramza answered.

"But you're not, are you?" Delita added.

Ramza shook his head, "Nah, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Don't feel like it I guess. I feel somewhat empty. I don't have anything anymore. No family, no home, no friends, and lots of other things."

"You could easily be friends with those back in East Ivalice," Delita stated. "At least you have that option. I don't even have that much."

"I could. But it feels fake. Everything does now."

Delita nodded, and then looked at Ramza, and Ramza looked at Delita. They stared each other down, contemplating what they were both saying and what they were both destined to be. Each of them thought about what their futures held, and what their lives were worth. Through both of their minds ran the thought of killing the other right there on the spot, yet neither made a move.

"Your actions have meaning only if they hold true to your ideals," Ramza said. "I said it many years ago, and I say it again now. I guess there's some truth to your philosophy, and your actions do have meaning."

"Yours too," Delita sighed in reply.

They both sat there in silence for a few minutes until Delita finally spoke up.

"Ramza... What did you get? I..."


End file.
